BRIDGE  COUNTY  GEOGRAPHIES 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


LOS  ANGELES 


CAMBRIDGE    COUNTY    GEOGRAPHIES 
SCOTLAND 

General  Editor :  W.  MURISON,  M.A. 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


CAMBRIDGE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

C.  F.  CLAY,  MANAGER 
LONDON     :     FETTER    LANE,    E.C.4 


umrn 


NEW  YORK   :   THE   MACMILLAN  CO 

BOMBAY        \ 

CALCUTTA  /•  MACMILLAN  AND  CO.,  LTD. 

MADRAS       J 

TORONTO    !    THE     MACMILLAN    CO. 

OF  CANADA,    LTD. 
TOKYO   :  MARUZEN-KABUSH1KI-KAISHA 


A.LL   RIGHTS  RESERVED 


Cambridge  County  Geographies 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


by  the  late 
GEORGE  H.  KINNEAR,  F.E.I.S. 

Headmaster,  Glenbervie  Public  School 
Author  of  Glenbervie,  the  Fatherland  of  Burns 


With  Maps,  Diagrams,  and  Illustrations 


CAMBRIDGE 

AT  THE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 
1921 


Printed  in  Great  Britain 
ty  Turnbull  cr1  Shears,  Edinburgh 


PREFATORY  NOTE 

MR  KINNEAR'S  death  when  he  had  written  the  text  of 

s 

this  volume,  but  had  not  finally  revised  it,  left  the  work 
to  be  completed  by  the  general  editor.  Fortunately, 
the  changes  which  Mr  Kinnear  intended  to  make  were 
clearly  marked  ;  and  these  have  been  closely  followed. 
As  it  has  been  impossible  to  find  an  accurate  list  of 
those  who,  by  advice  or  otherwise,  assisted  Mr  Kinnear, 
will  all  who  did  so  kindly  accept  this  general  acknow- 
ledgment of  their  much-appreciated  help  ? 

The  general  editor  is  deeply  indebted  to  his  friend, 
Mr  J.  B.  Philip,  himself  a  son  of  the  Mearns,  who  has 
given  unstintedly  of  his  full  knowledge  of  the  county 
and  has  rendered  invaluable  service  in  the  reading  of 
the  proofs.  In  addition,  Mr  Philip  generously  pre- 
sented a  number  of  his  own  photographs  for  use  in 
illustration. 

W.  MURISON 

November  1920 


484397 

HISTORY 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

1.  County  and  Shire.     The  Origin  of  Kincardine 

and  Mearns     ......  i 

2.  General  Characteristics            .          .          .          .  2 

3.  Size.     Shape.     Boundaries     .          .                     .  6 

4.  Surface.     General  Features.     Soil  ...  8 

5.  Rivers  and  Lakes            .                „    .          .          .  14 

6.  Geology        .......  18 

7.  Natural  History    ......  27 

8.  The  Coast 32 

9.  Climate  and  Rainfall      .....  43 

10.  People — Race,  Language,  Population       .          .  48 

11.  Agriculture  .......  50 

12.  Manufactures  and  Other  Industries           .  55 

i  JJ 

13.  Fisheries       .......  57 

14.  History  of  the  County   .....  60 

15.  Antiquities  .......  69 

1 6.  Architecture — (a)  Ecclesiastical  74 

17.  Architecture — (b)  Castellated            ...  82 


viii  CONTENTS 


PAGE 


1 8.  Architecture — (c)  Domestic     .          .          .          .         91 

19.  Communications — Roads  and  Railways   .          .          95 

20.  Administration  and  Divisions  .          .          .100 

21.  Roll  of  Honour      ......        103 

22.  The  Chief  Towns  and  Villages  of  Kincardine- 

shire       .          .          .          .          .          .          .113 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Coast  Scenery  at  Muchalls     .....  3 

View  of  the  Feugh  Valley  from  Scolty     ...  9 

The  Ford,  Drumtochty  Glen           .          .          .          .  1 1 

Bridge  of  Feugh  .......  15 

Gannochy  Bridge           .                               .          .  17 

Felsite  Sill  near  Cove    .          .          .          .          .          .  21 

Cliff  of  Boulder  Clay,  Nigg  Bay       ....  25 

Striated  Stone  from  Nigg  Bay         ....  26 

Gulls'  Crag,  Stonehaven         .          .          .          .          .  31 

Girdleness  Lighthouse  .          .          .          .          .          .  33 

Low  Tide  at  Nigg  Bay            .....  34 

The  "  Old  Man  "  of  Muchalls          ....  35 

Dunnottar  from  the  North    .          .          .          .          .  37 

Fowlsheugh          .          .          .          .          .          .          .38 

The  Great  Cave,  Fowlsheugh          ....  39 

Sea  Cave  near  Cove       .          .          .          .          .          .  41 

Kainfall  Diagram           .          .          .          .          .          .  47 

In  the  Birkwood,  Banchory  .          .          .          .          .  54 

Herring-boats,  Gourdon          .....  58 

Sculptured  Stone,  Fordoun    .....  62 

Old  Bridge  of  Dee 64 

Regalia        .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .66 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 


Concealing  the  Regalia  in  Kinneff  Church         .          .  67 
Imprisoned    Clergyman   baptising   Children,    Stone- 
haven  .                    .          .          .          .          .          .68 

Bronze  Vessels  from  Banchory  Loch        ...  70 

Auchquhorthies.     View  from  the  South            .          .  71 

Auchquhorthies.     Recumbent  Stone        .          .          .  71 

Ogham  Stone,  Auquhollie       .....  72 

Surface  of  Crannog,  Loch  of  Banchory    ...  73 

Cowie  Church       .......  75 

Arbuthnott  Church        ......  76 

Illumination  from  Arbuthnott  Book  of  Hours            .  77 

St  Mary's  College,  Blairs        .....  79 

Blairs  Portrait  of  Maiy  Queen  of  Scots  81 

Crathes  Castle      .......  86 

Part  of  Vaulted  Roof,  Balbegno  Castle    ...  87 

Dunnottar  from  the  South     .....  89 

Entrance  to  Dunnottar  Castle         ....  90 

Fetteresso  Castle            ......  92 

Old  House  of  Urie          ......  93 

Cairn  o'  Mount  Road    ......  97 

Burying-place  of  Burns's  Ancestors          .          .          .  104 

George  Keith,  Fifth  Earl  Marischal          .          .          .  105 

Field-Marshal  James  Keith    .....  106 

James  Burnett,  Lord  Monboddo     ....  108 

Dr  Thomas  Reid  .          .          .          .          .          .109 

Dr  John  Arbuthnot       .          .          .          .          .          .  in 

Captain  Robert  Barclay          .          .          .          .  •        .  112 

Nordrach-on-Dee  Sanatorium,  Banchory           .          .  114 
Mending  Nets,  Gourdon          .          .          .          .          .115 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xi 


PAGE 


Stonehaven  Harbour     .  .117 

Diagrams     .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .119 

MAPS 

Kincardineshire  (Physical)  ....  Front  Cover 
Rainfall  Map  of  Scotland  .....  46 
Kincardineshire  (Geological)  ....  Back  Cover 


The  illustrations  on  pp.  3,  21,  25,  26,  34,  35,  41,  58, 76, 115  are  reproduced 
from  photographs  by  Mr  J.  B.  Philip  ;  those  on  pp.  9, 15,  54  from  photo- 
graphs by  W.  Holmes  &  Co. ;  those  on  pp.  n,  97  from  photographs  by 
Mr  Archibald  Taylor  ;  those  on  pp.  17,  33,  64,  66,  86  from  photo- 
graphs by  Valentine  &  Sons,  Ltd. ;  those  on  pp.  31,  37,  38,  62,  68,  75,  89, 
90,  92,  93,  104,  106,  ii2,  117  from  photographs  by  Mr  A.  Ross  ;  those  on 
PP  39i  72  from  drawings  by  Mr  J.  Reid  ;  that  on  p.  67  from  a  photo- 
graph by  Messrs  Oliver  &  Hoyd  ;  those  on  pp.  70,  71,  73,  87  are  reproduced 
by  permission  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries,  Scotland  ;  that  on  p.  77  by 
permission  of  the  Committee  of  Management,  Free  Public  Library  and 
Museum,  Paisley ;  that  on  p.  79  by  permission  of  The  Aberdeen  Daily 
Journal;  that  on  p.  81  is  from  a  photograph  by  Mr  F.  C.  Inglis ;  that  on 
p.  105  is  reproduced,  by  permission  of  the  University  Court  of  the 
University  of  Aberdeen,  from  a  photograph  by  Messrs  T.  &  R.  Annan  & 
Sons ;  those  on  pp.  109,  in,  by  arrangement  with  the  same  firm  ;  that  on 
p.  108  from  a  photograph  supplied  by  Mrs  Kinnear,  and  that  on  p.  114 
from  a  photograph  by  Mr  W.  J.  Johnston. 


i.  County   and   Shire.     The   Origin    of 
Kincardine  and  Mearns 

The  word  shire  is  of  Old  English  origin  and  meant 
office,  charge,  administration.  The  Norman  Conquest 
introduced  the  word  county — through  French  from  the 
Latin  comitatus,  which  in  mediaeval  documents  desig- 
nates the  shire.  County  is  the  district  ruled  by  a  count, 
the  king's  comes,  the  equivalent  of  the  older  English 
term  earl.  This  system  of  local  administration  entered 
Scotland  as  part  of  the  Anglo-Norman  influence  that 
strongly  affected  our  country  after  the  year  noo. 

The  number  of  counties  has  not  always  been  the  same, 
nor  have  the  boundaries  always  been  as  they  are  now. 
Geographically  Kincardineshire  and  Forfarshire  are  one  ; 
and  in  a  very  old  account  of  the  district  it  is  stated  that 
"  Angus  and  Mearns  were  united  and  both  called  by  the 
same  name."  The  official  who  represented  the  King's 
authority  was  the  Shire-reeve  or  Sheriff,  but  sheriffdoms 
were  modified  in  number  and  area  from  time  to  time  as 
was  found  convenient.  Early  in  the  fourteenth  century 
there  were  at  least  twenty-five  counties  in  Scotland,  at 
the  present  time  there  are  thirty-three. 

The  county  was  manifestly  named  from  Kincardine 
in  Fordoun  parish,  once  a  town  with  a  royal  residence. 
The  name  Kincardine  is  taken  to  mean  "  the  end  of  the 

i 


2  KINCARDINESHIRE 

high  land,"  i.e.  where  the  Grampians  terminate.  Kin- 
cardine occurs  frequently  as  a  place  name  along  the  east 
of  Scotland  from  Ross-shire  to  Fife  ;  and,  with  the 
exception  of  Kincardine-on-Forth,  it  regularly  designates 
a  place  at  the  end  or  the  side  of  hills. 

The  county  is  often  spoken  of  as  "  The  Mearns," 
although  this  is  not  strictly  accurate.  The  Mearns 
constitutes  the  district  of  the  county  south  of  the 
Grampians.  The  Howe  of  the  Mearns  is  really  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  great  valley  of  Strathmore.  Like  "  The 
Merse  "  and  "  The  Lothians,"  we  say  "  The  Mearns," 
not  "  Mearns "  alone.  The  etymology  of  Mearns  is 
disputed.  A  tradition  is  that  Kenneth  II.,  in  the  ninth 
century,  divided  this  region  into  two,  bestowing  them 
on  his  brothers  ^Eneas  and  Mernas,  whence  they  were 
called  respectively  Angus  and  Mearns. 

2.  General  Characteristics 

Kincardine,  like  its  southern  neighbour  Forfarshire, 
of  which  it  is  indeed  but  a  continuation,  exhibits  a  good 
epitome  of  typical  Scottish  .scenery.  The  two  counties 
present  pretty  much  the  same  physical  appearance. 
Each,  in  a  restricted  though  real  sense,  may  be  termed 

"  Land  of  brown  heath  and  shaggy  wood, 
Land  of  the  mountain  and  the  flood." 

They  both  show  a  fertile  tract  of  level  or  gently 
undulating  land  along  the  coast,  dotted  here  and  there 
with  green  plantation,  stately  mansion,  or  comfortable- 
looking  homestead.  In  both  counties,  also,  the  interior 


3 
§ 


4  KINCARDINESHIRE 

is  well  sheltered  from  the  biting  east  winds  that  sweep 
in  from  the  sea  by  a  range  of  hills  running  parallel  to 
the  coast — the  Sidlaw  Hills  in  Forfarshire,  and  the 
Garvock  Heights  in  the  Mearns.  Similarly,  on  the 
north  side  of  each,  the  Grampians  rising  in  majestic 
grandeur  form  a  wall  of  protection  from  the  cold 
northern  blasts.  In  both,  we  thus  have  favourable 
conditions  for  the  production  of  fertile  soil  through  the 
disintegration  of  the  rocks  and  stones  on  the  hillsides, 
and  through  the  age-long  washing  down  by  rain  and 
flood  of  new  soil  from  the  "  everlasting  hills  "  into  the 
valleys  below.  For  the  sportsman  the  hills  and  moors 
of  Kincardineshire  provide  grouse  and  other  game. 
The  parish  of  Strachan  contains  the  one  deer  forest  in 
the  county — the  most  easterly  deer  forest  in  Scotland. 

The  highly  picturesque  scenery  along  the  coast  of 
Kincardineshire  is  a  never-ending  delight  to  the  artist 
and  to  other  lovers  of  nature  ;  while  in  its  diversified 
flora,  its  rock  structures,  its  antiquities,  the  county 
offers  ample  material  to  botanist,  geologist,  and 
archaeologist. 

Kincardineshire  has  long  been  connected  with  the 
fishing  industry,  but  the  introduction  of  steam  trawlers 
and  drifters  has,  to  a  large  extent,  displaced  the  line 
fishing  which  was  successfully  pursued  from  the  many 
villages  and  creeks  along  the  coast.  Manufactures  can 
hardly  be  said  to  exist  in  the  county.  With  the  decay 
of  handloom  weaving,  the  manufacture  of  linens  and 
woollens  was  transferred  to  the  larger  centres  in  the 
south  and  north — Dundee  and  Aberdeen.  On  the 


GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS  5 

outskirts  of  the  Forfarshire  linen-manufacturing  area, 
and  connected  with  Dundee  as  the  principal  market- 
centre,  there  are,  however,  flourishing  spinning  mills  at 
Bervie,  Gourdon,  and  Johnshaven. 

The  county  is  intersected  by  the  main  line  of  the 
Caledonian  Railway,  which,  at  least  for  part  of  its 
distance,  runs  near  to  the  route  of  the  old  roads,  a  fact 
which  indicates  the  limitations  imposed  by  nature  both 
on  the  ancient  makers  of  roads  and  the  modern  makers 
of  railways.  The  position  of  many  of  the  towns  and 
villages  is  along  this  natural  route.  A  similar  explana- 
tion applies  to  the  position  of  the  towns  and  villages 
along  the  coast  and  in  the  Dee  valley.  With  the 
exception,  however,  of  Stonehaven  and  Banchory,  their 
size  has  not  yet  greatly  increased  under  the  influence 
of  railways,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  country. 

Although  at  one  time  possessed  of  a  royal  residence, 
Kincardineshire  cannot  be  called  a  county  of  much 
national  importance.  On  the  other  hand,  few  districts 
have  afforded  such  an  interesting  field  for  the  study  of 
local  history  or  research  into  manners  and  customs  of 
the  past.  The  county  has  a  world- wide  reputation  as 
a  sanatorium  centre,  while  Stonehaven  with  its  bracing 
air,  its  woods,  walks,  and  scenes  of  beauty,  and  its  unique 
opportunities  for  healthy  recreation  and  enjoyment, 
attracts  visitors  from  all  parts  of  Britain  during  the 
summer  months. 


6  KINCARDINESHIRE 

3.  Size.     Shape.     Boundaries 

The  county  is  not  a  large  one,  but  its  area  is  com- 
pact and  well  denned.  It  ranks  as  twenty-first  of  the 
Scottish  counties  in  extent,  twenty-fourth  in  popula- 
tion, and  twentieth  in  point  of  rental.  From  south- 
west to  north-east  it  is  32  miles  in  length,  and  24  miles, 
where  widest,  from  south  to  north.  It  lies  between 
latitude  56°  46'  and  57°  9'  N.  and  between  longitude 
2°  4'  and  2°  44'  W.  The  area  of  the  county  is  248,195 
acres,  or  approximately  388  square  miles.  It  is  only 
one-eleventh  of  the  area  of  Inverness,  the  largest  county 
in  Scotland,  but  it  is  almost  eight  times  larger  than 
Clackmannan,  the  smallest. 

Wedged  in  between  two  bigger  neighbours,  Aberdeen- 
shire  and  Forfarshire,  Kincardineshire  in  shape  resembles 
a  right-angled  triangle,  the  right  angle  being  at  Mount 
Battock  in  the  west,  while  the  two  sides  containing  it 
are  lines  which  run,  roughly  speaking,  along  the  course 
of  the  river  Dee  to  Aberdeen,  and  along  the  west  side 
of  the  county  towards  the  mouth  of  the  North  Esk. 
The  other  side,  formed  by  the  coast-line  from  near 
Montrose  to  Aberdeen,  has  a  distance  of  about  35  miles. 
The  whole  outline  measures  about  100  miles. 

The  watershed  of  the  Dee  on  the  north,  and  the 
watershed  of  the  North  Esk  on  the  west,  practically 
mark  out  the  county  limits.  The  area  lying  between 
these  two  rivers  and  the  sea  comprehends  a  district  the 
general  slope  of  which  is  to  the  south-east.  A  picturesque 
background  to  the  district  is  formed  by  the  Grampian 


SIZE— SHAPE— BOUNDARIES  7 

heights,  varying  in  elevation  from  500  to  2500  feet. 
From  the  summits  of  this  natural  barrier  of  hills,  covered 
with  heath  and  moss,  there  is  a  regular  succession  of 
green  hills  and  cultivated  slopes  down  to  the  Howe 
of  the  Mearns  with  its  flat  or  undulating  fields.  The 
eastern  boundary — the  North  Sea  shore — runs  at  first 
to  Bervie,  a  distance  of  10  miles,  in  a  north-easterly 
direction  ;  for  the  next  10  miles,  to  Stonehaven,  it 
curves  to  the  north  ;  and  for  the  remaining  15  miles, 
to  the  Dee,  it  again  takes  a  north-easterly  direction. 
Along  the  north  side  from  Aberdeen  the  Dee  forms  the 
dividing  line  as  far  as  Crathes,  a  distance  of  14  miles  ; 
after  which  the  county  boundary  sweeps  round  the 
north  side  of  Banchory  over  the  Hill  of  Fare,  touching 
here  the  southern  Aberdeenshire  parishes  of  Echt, 
Midmar,  Kincardine-O'Neil,  and  Birse.  The  western 
boundary  from  Mount  Battock  to  near  Montrose  is 
formed  by  the  North  Esk,  and  the  Forfarshire  parishes 
of  Lochlee,  Edzell,  Stracathro,  Logic  Pert,  and  Montrose. 
Before  1891  the  parishes  of  Banchory-Ternan,  Drum- 
oak,  and  Banchory-Devenick  were  partly  in  Kincardine- 
shire,  partly  in  Aberdeenshire.  In  that  year  Banchory- 
Ternan  was  all  included  in  Kincardineshire,  and  Drumoak 
in  Aberdeenshire.  The  designation  Banchory-Devenick 
was  now  restricted  to  the  Kincardineshire  portion, 
while  the  rest  was  added  to  the  Aberdeenshire  parish 
of  Peterculter.  At  the  same  time  the  parish  of  Edzell, 
which  had  been  partly  in  Forfarshire,  partly  in 
Kincardineshire,  lost  its  Kincardineshire  portion,  which 
was  transferred  to  the  parish  of  Fettercairn. 


8  KINCARDINESHIRE 

4.  Surface.     General  Features.     Soil 

A  bird's-eye  view  would  show  the  county  to  be  divided 
into  two  parts  of  nearly  equal  size,  but  of  totally 
different  aspects.  As  a  whole  it  is  very  diversified, 
embracing  districts  that  are  entirely  of  a  Highland  type 
of  scenery,  while  in  the  south  and  east  the  lowland 
and  the  maritime  type  predominate.  In  appearance  it 
resembles  Forfarshire,  which,  however,  excels  in  extent 
and  boldness  of  mountain  summits. 

The  two  main  divisions  of  the  county  may  be 
further  regarded  as  being  naturally  sub-divided  into  four 
longitudinal  and  parallel  districts :  the  Maritime,  the 
Howe,  the  Grampian,  and  the  Deeside.  The  Grampian 
district  stretches  through  the  whole  breadth  of  the 
county  from  west  to  east,  and  is  on  an  average  from 
16  to  18  miles  in  length  and  from  6  to  8  miles  across 
from  south  to  north.  It  is  naturally  rugged,  sterile,  and 
dreary.  Its  total  area  may  be  reckoned  at  120  square 
miles,  mostly  moor  and  heather.  From  Mount  Battock 
(2555  ft.)  in  the  north-west,  the  highest  peak  in  the  dis- 
trict, the  Grampians  gradually  descend  and  are  popularly 
regarded  as  terminating  in  the  low  heights  (about 
200  ft.)  near  the  Bay  of  Nigg.  Of  the  other  Grampian 
peaks  the  most  prominent  are  Clochnaben  (1944  ft.),  with 
its  granite  knob  100  ft.  high,  a  well-known  landmark  from 
the  sea;  Kerloch  (1747  ft.),  and  Cairnmonearn  (1245  ft.). 
The  Hill  of  Fare  on  the  north  side  of  the  Dee  reaches  a 
height  of  1429  ft.,  while  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  Scolty  Hill  (982  ft.),  with  its  monument  to  General 


bO    « 

3    '" 

4)      g 


10  KINCARDINESHIRE 

Burnett,  is  a  notable  landmark,  from  which,  as  from  the 
top  of  most  of  the  hills,  splendid  views  are  obtainable 
of  the  scenery  of  Aberdeenshire  on  the  north,  and  of  the 
Howe  on  the  south. 

The  Deeside  district  extends  westward  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Dee  along  the  southern  banks  of  that  river 
for  23  miles,  and  has  an  area  of  about  54  square  miles. 
There  is  also  a  portion  of  this  district  on  the  north  bank 
of  the  Dee  above  Banchory,  extending  to  about  26  square 
miles.  Although,  as  regards  agriculture,  Deeside  is  a 
comparatively  poor  region,  yet  there  is  in  it  a  greater 
proportion  of  surface  under  timber  than  in  any  other 
part  of  the  county.  This  gives  it  a  very  pleasing  aspect, 
embellished  as  it  is  by  the  waters  of  the  "  Silvery  Dee," 
flowing  along  through  the  level  haughs  and  meadows 
that  lie  between  the  encircling  slopes  on  both  sides  of 
the  valley. 

The  Howe  of  the  Mearns  district,  about  16  miles  long, 
5  miles  broad,  and  having  an  area  of  about  50  square 
miles,  forms  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  Vale  of  Strath- 
more  ;  but,,  in  comparison  with  it,  the  Howe  is  very  flat 
and  bare,  especially  towards  the  eastern  extremities.  The 
soil  here  has  a  characteristically  red  appearance,  due  to 
the  underlying  clay,  popularly  known  as  "  Mearns  Keel." 

On  the  lower  slopes  of  the  Grampians  and  overlooking 
the  splendid  panorama  of  scenery  in  the  Howe  are 
several  well-known  peaks.  From  west  to  east  these  are 
the  Cairn  (1488  ft.)  ;  Whitelaws  (1664  ft.) ;  Houndhillock 
(1698  ft.) ;  Bamakettle  Hill  (1000  ft.) ;  Carrol  (1035  ft.) ; 
Arnbarrow  (1060  ft.) ;  Strathfinella  (1358  ft.) ;  Tipperty 


11 


(1042  ft.) ;  Herscha  (725  ft.)  ;  and  Knock  Hill  (717  ft.). 
On  the  north  side  of  Strathfinella  lies  one  of  the  most 
romantic  and  picturesque  spots  in  Scotland,  the  famous 
Glen  of  Drumtochty,  leading  by  the  "  Clatterin  Brigs  " 
to  Fettercairn  and  the  Burn. 

Between  the  Howe  and  the  coast  a  lower  range  of 


The  Ford,  Drumtochty  Glen 

hills,  known  as  the  Garvock  Heights,  cultivated  almost 
to  their  summits,  runs  in  a  south-easterly  direction 
through  the  parishes  of  Arbuthnott,  Garvock,  and 
St  Cyrus.  Their  elevation  ranges  from  500  to  900  ft. 
Johnston  Tower  (915  ft.),  immediately  above  Laurence- 
kirk,  is  a  conspicuous  object  from  all  points  of  the 
compass.  The  view  from  this  point  is  magnificent, 
comprising  hill  and  dale,  stream  and  sea,  fertile  fields 
and  cosy  homesteads.  The  descent  from  the  Garvock 


12  KINCARDINESHIRE 

Heights  to  both  the  Howe  and  the  sea  is  gradual,  the 
slopes  on  each  side  being  here  and  there  dotted  with 
patches  of  wood  or  grassy  moorland  which  give  fresh- 
ness and  colour  to  a  somewhat  bare  and  monotonous 
district.  East  of  the  Bervie  valley  a  lower  range, 
really  a  spur  of  the  Garvock  Heights,  starts  at  Carmont 
Hill  (710  ft.),  on  the  south  side  of  the  Carron  Water,  and 
is  continued,  with  a  slight  descent,  over  Bruxie  Hill  (700 
ft.)  to  Bervie  Brow  (451  ft.),  overlooking  Bervie  Bay. 

When  the  character  of  the  soils  of  the  county  is  con- 
sidered, regard  must  be  had  to  the  nature  and  structure 
of  the  underlying  geological  formation,  since  the  soils 
are  indebted  to  disintegrated  rocks  for  their  mineral 
constituents.  The  quality  of  a  soil,  moreover,  depends 
largely  on  the  upper  formation  of  the  neighbouring 
heights,  the  decomposed  portions  of  which  are  washed 
down  by  rain  and  flood  to  the  lower  grounds  and  there 
incorporated  in  the  soil. 

The  best  farming  district  in  the  county  is  undoubtedly 
along  the  coast,  especially  between  St  Cyrus  and  Bervie. 
The  soil  here  is  a  deep  black  loam.  Most  of  it  is  free, 
parts  of  it  tenacious,  but  none  of  a  stiff,  clayish  nature. 
The  farms  in  the  St  Cyrus  district  are  undoubtedly  the 
most  fertile  in  the  county.  The  liberal  application  of  lime 
from  the  lime-kilns  at  St  Cyrus  in  the  beginning  of  the 
last  century  was  a  valuable  factor  in  improving  the  soil  ; 
and  this,  combined  with  intelligent  and  up-to-date 
methods  of  cultivation,  is  reflected  in  the  general 
excellence  of  the  crops  in  this  district.  In  striking 
contrast  are  the  thin  and  cold  soils  of  the  Garvock 


SURFACE  AND  GENERAL  FEATURES  13 

region.  Owing  to  elevation,  exposure,  and  absence  of 
thorough  drainage  in  many  parts,  the  soil  cannot  be 
called  a  very  kindly  one,  although  during  the  last  half 
century  much  has  been  done  to  improve  the  appearance 
of  this  somewhat  bare  district. 

The  soils  in  the  Howe  of  the  Mearns  are  rather  vari- 
able, ranging  from  deep  brown  soils  resting  on  the 
boulder  clay,  to  a  light  gravelly  moorish  soil  stretching 
right  up  to  the  middle  of  the  Howe,  through  part  of 
the  parishes  of  Marykirk,  Laurencekirk,  Fettercairn, 
and  Fordoun.  In  the  neighbourhood  of  Laurencekirk 
the^soil  is  a  stiff  clay,  though  on  the  whole  a  good  crop- 
ping soil.  The  Grampian  district,  the  largest  in  the 
county,  is  naturally  a  poor  farming  district,  the  soil 
being  neither  deep  nor  productive.  Still,  on  the  clay- 
slate  formation,  we  find  along  the  southern  spurs  of 
the  Grampians  a  soil  remarkably  well-adapted  for  the 
growth  of  timber  plantations,  which  are  here  very 
numerous. 

The  soil  on  Deeside  is  of  a  thin,  gravelly  nature, 
being  formed  from  decomposed  schists  and  granite 
rocks,  with  a  small  proportion  of  moss  or  decayed 
vegetation.  Though  not  suitable  for  the  production  of 
heavy  crops  such  as  wheat  and  barley,  the  soil  of  Dee- 
side  is  remarkably  suitable  for  the  culture  of  small 
fruits  (strawberries  and  raspberries),  and  especially  for 
the  growth  of  timber.  Between  Deeside  and  the  coast, 
in  the  district  around  Muchalls,  much  of  the  soil  is 
mossy,  while  between  Stonehaven  and  Aberdeen  a  strip 
of  land,  bordering  the  sea  and  extending  a  few  miles 


14  KINCARDINESHIRE 

inland,  is  of  the  same  nature.  In  the  neighbourhood 
of  Aberdeen,  part  of  the  land  is  laid  out  for  the 
cultivation  of  potatoes  and  vegetables,  a  ready  market 
for  which  is  got  there. 


5.  Rivers  and  Lakes 

With  the  exception  of  the  Dec  and  the  North  Esk, 
which  belong  only  in  part  to  Kincardineshire,  the  rivers 
of  the  county  are  comparatively  small.  But  from  its 
diversified  and  unequal  surface,  and  from  the  fact  that 
the  land  slopes  in  many  directions,  the  streams  *are 
numerous,  and  every  part  of  the  county  is  well-watered. 
By  reclamation,  drainage,  and  improved  cultivation, 
and  the  consequent  disappearance  of  water-logged 
haughs  adjacent  to  rivers,  the  streams  are  smaller  than 
formerly,  but  admirably  adapted  for  the  natural  and 
the  artificial  drainage  of  their  districts.  The  course  of 
the  streams  flowing  from  the  Grampians  to  the  North 
Sea  shows  the  general  slope  of  the  county  to  be  towards 
the  south-east.  The  northern  district  is  drained  by 
numerous  tributaries  discharging  into  the  Dee,  and  the 
western  by  the  North  Esk  and  its  feeders. 

The  Dee,  96  miles  from  source  to  sea,  issues  out  of 
Braeriach,  one  of  the  Cairngorm  summits,  at  the  "  Wells 
of  Dee,"  and  flowing  eastward,  enters  Kincardineshire 
near  Potarch.  Through  the  three-spanned  bridge  of 
Potarch,  between  Aboyne  and  Banchory,  it  sweeps  deep 
and  strong  over  its  gravelly  bed.  The  road  over 
Cairn  o'  Mount,  the  much-frequented  old  road  from  Tay 


RIVERS  AND  LAKES 


15 


to  Dee,  formerly  crossed  here  by  a  ford  below  the  bridge. 
For  12  miles  the  river  continues  its  course  through  the 
county,  and  then  forms  the  northern  boundary  for  the 
remaining  14  miles.  From  Kincardine-O'Neil  it  receives 
the  Canny  (9  miles)  directly  below  Inchmarlo  House 
and  close  to  Invercanny  reservoirs,  connected  with  the 


Bridge  of  Feugh 

Aberdeen  water  supply  ;  and  also  the  small  burns  of 
Cluny  and  Corrichie  from  the  Hill  of  Fare.  On  the 
south  side  the  Feugh  (20  miles),  from  the  Forest  of 
Birse,  flows  for  8  miles  to  Whitestone.  There  it  is 
joined  by  the  Aan  (10  miles),  which  comes  along  the 
county  boundary  from  Mount  Battock,  and  at  Kirkton 
of  Strachan  by  the  Dye  from  Glen  Dye.  The  Bridge  of 
Feugh,  350  yards  from  the  point  where  the  Feugh  and 
Dee  join,  is  one  of  the  most  noted  and  beautiful  spots 


16  KINCARDINESHIRE 

on  Ueeside.  The  bridge  itself,  a  plain  structure, 
derives  its  picturesqueness  from  the  rocky  channel  of 
the  river  both  above  and  below  it.  Here  the  stream, 
embowered  in  a  wealth  of  wood  and  greenery,  courses 
swiftly  over  and  around  ledges  of  projecting  rock,  the 
foaming  water,  especially  when  the  river  is  in  flood, 
forming  a  magnificent  spectacle.  Though  neither  the 
longest  nor  the  largest  river  in  Scotland,  the  Dee  lays 
claim  to  being  one  of  the  most  rapid.  Rising  4000  ft. 
above  sea  level  and  fed  by  numerous  mountain  streams, 
it  has  a  flow  of  water  remarkably  pure,  although  it  is 
subject  to  high  and  sudden  floods.  Its  banks,  through- 
out its  entire  course,  are  extremely  well-wooded,  while 
as  a  salmon  stream  it  has  few  equals. 

The  North  Esk,  sometimes  called  the  East  Water,  has 
a  course  of  40  miles  to  the  sea  from  its  source  in  Loch 
Lee  in  Forfarshire.  Towards  the  foot  of  Glen  Esk  it 
touches  Kincardineshire,  and  for  the  next  14  miles  forms 
the  south-west  boundary  of  the  county.  For  romantic 
beauty  its  course  of  5  miles  through  the  beautiful  woods 
of  the  Burn  could  hardly  be  surpassed.  Here  the  river 
has  ploughed  out  for  itself  a  deep  gorge  between  rugged 
rocks,  along  which  are  pleasant  winding  paths,  shaded 
by  overhanging  foliage.  From  the  "  Loup's  Brig,"  as 
well  as  from  Gannochy  Bridge,  a  lofty  arch,  30  feet 
high  and  52  feet  wide,  on  the  Fettercairn  to  Edzell  road, 
the  foaming  cataracts  and  dark  pools  confined  between 
the  rocks  and  cliffs  form  a  scene  of  surpassing  beauty 
and  grandeur.  The  Esk  drains  an  area  of  224  square 
miles,  80  of  which  belong  to  Kincardineshire.  The 


RIVERS  AND  LAKES  17 

river  has  shifted  its  mouth  several  times  in  recent 
centuries,  as  is  shown  by  an  examination  of  the  triangular 
patch  of  alluvial  soil  and  sand,  north  of  its  present 
mouth.  Up  to  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century  it 
entered  the  sea  2  miles,  and  up  to  1879  i  mile,  further 
north  than  it  enters  now.  The  Luther  (12  miles)  is  the 


Gannochy  Bridge 

largest  feeder  of  the  North  Esk  from  within  the  county. 
Encircling  Strathfinella  Hill,  it  flows  first  through  the 
beautiful  glen  of  Drumtochty,  then  sweeping  southward 
and  westward  through  the  Howe,  it  joins  the  North . Esk 
about  2  miles  from  the  village  of  Marykirk. 

Of  the  other  streams  in  the  east,  the  Bervie  (16  #\iles) 

is  the  largest  and  most  interesting.     From  the  uplands 

of  Glenbervie,  it  takes  a  south-easterly  course,  rounds 

Knock  Hill,  and  winds  through  the  fertile  haughs  of 

B 


18 

Fordoim  and  Arbuthnott,  reaching  the  sea  at  Bervie. 
Its  banks  are  picturesquely  wooded  near  the  old  mansion- 
house  of  Arbuthnott.  The  Bervie  is  a  famous  trouting- 
stream,  and  has  a  salmon-fishery  at  its  mouth.  The 
burn  of  Catterline  in  the  east  of  Kinneff ;  the  burn  of 
Benholm  in  Benholm  parish ;  and  the  burn  of  Finella 
in  St  Cyrus,  enter  the  sea  through  gorges  worn  by  the 
water  in  the  rocks  that  crown  their  banks.  The  Den 
of  Finella  with  its  waterfall  70  ft.  high  rivals  in  grandeur 
the  scenery  of  the  North  Esk  at  the  Burn,  though  not 
on  so  extensive  a  scale.  Tradition  relates  that,  when 
Queen  Finella  was  pursued  after  the  murder  of  King 
Kenneth  III.,  she  fled  here, 

"And  leapt  from  the  rocks  to  a  wild,  wild  boiling  pool, 
Where  her  body  was  torn  and  tossed." 

The  lochs  in  the  county  are  few  and  small.  The 
Loch  of  Leys  in  Banchory  was  over  2  miles  in  circuit, 
but  is  now  drained ;  Loirston  Loch  in  Nigg  is  27  acres 
in  extent.  There  are  two  extremely  pretty  artificial 
lakes  in  the  county.  That  within  the  policies  of  Fasque 
House  is  20  acres  in  extent ;  and  Glensaugh  Loch,  in 
the  upper  part  of  Drumtochty  Glen,  has  certainly  now 
little  appearance  of  being  artificial.  Both  have  wooded 
islets,  and  are  the  haunts  of  wild  duck  and  other  water 
fowl. 

6.  Geology 

From  the  point  of  view  of  origin,  all  rocks  belong  to 
one  or  other  of  two  groups.  There  are  the  igneous 


GEOLOGY  19 

rocks,  which  have  been  at  one  time  in  a  molten  condi- 
tion, and  which  have  become  consolidated  by  a  process 
of  crystallisation  ;  while  the  derivative  rocks,  directly 
or  indirectly,  result  from  the  decay  of  pre-existing 
rocks.  Familiar  examples  of  igneous  rocks  are  the 
lavas  from  modern  volcanoes.  Sometimes,  however, 
the  molten  matter  fails  to  reach  the  surface,  and  is 
consolidated,  as  granite  for  example,  in  or  between 
other  rocks.  It  is  then  called  intrusive.  Derivative 
rocks  are  often  spoken  of  as  sedimentary,  because  for 
the  most  part  they  have  been  deposited  as  sediments 
in  the  flow  of  lake  or  sea.  They  may  be  recognised  in 
the  field  by  their  bedded  or  stratified  character.  Igneous 
rocks,  on  the  other  hand,  are  unbedded.  Many  rock 
masses  have  been  so  profoundly  altered  by  heat,  by 
pressure,  and  by  other  causes,  that  their  original  char- 
acters are  more  or  less  obscured.  Such  rocks  are 
termed  metamorphic.  Examples  of  these  are  the  wide- 
spread mica  schists  and  gneisses. 

The  deposits  now  forming  in  the  sea  floor  tend  to 
be  arranged  in  approximately  horizontal  layers.  Very 
often,  however,  as  a -result  of  coastal  movements  the 
sedimentary  rocks  have  been  tilted  (sometimes,  as  at 
Stonehaven,  the  bedding  planes  are  quite  vertical)  ; 
or  again  they  have  yielded  to  pressure  by  folding  or 
fracturing.  The  folding  may  be  simple,  as  in  the  rocks 
which  underlie  the  Howe  of  the  Mearns  ;  or  complicated, 
as  in  the  schists  of  the  Grampians.  A  splendid  illustra- 
tion of  a  fracture  or  fault  on  a  big  scale  is  seen  in 
the  "Highland  Fault,"  which  forms  the  geographical 


20  KINCARDINESHIRE 

boundary  between  the  Highlands  and  the  Midland  Valley 
of  Scotland.  It  enters  Kincardineshire  at  the  Woods 
of  the  Burn,  and  reaches  the  North  Sea  at  Garron  Point, 
near  Stonehaven. 

To  many  the  chief  interest  of  geology  lies  in  the  study 
of  fossils,  the  remains  of  plants  and  animals  preserved 
in  the  sedimentary  rocks.  Fossils  enable  us  to  ascertain 
the  relative  age  of  rocks  and  to  classify  them  in  groups 
and  systems.  The  oldest  rocks  of  the  earth's  crust,  the 
Pre-Cambrian,  contain  few  fossils.  Overlying  these  are 
four  great  groups,  which,  taken  in  order  of  age,  have 
been  named  as  follows :  (i)  Primary  or  Palceozoic ; 
(2)  Secondary  or  Mesozoic  ;  (3)  Tertiary  or  Cainozoic ; 
(4)  Post-Tertiary.  The  rocks  of  known  age  in  Kin- 
cardineshire belong  either  to  the  Primary  group  or  to 
the  Post-Tertiary.  The  Post-Tertiary  deposits  include 
the  boulder  clays  and  fluvio-glacial  gravels  and  sands, 
the  raised  beaches  which  fringe  the  coast,  the  alluvial 
terraces  or  haughs  of  the  river  valleys,  and  the  peat 
mosses. 

Considering  first  the  solid  rocks  of  the  county,  we  find 
they  are  of  markedly  different  character  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  Highland  Fault.  To  the  north  of  that 
great  fracture  they  belong  mainly  to  the  Dalradian 
series,  to  the  south  to  the  Old  Red  Sandstone.  Between 
the  Dalradian  rocks  and  the  Highland  Fault,  however, 
at  the  Woods  of  the  Burn,  at  Glensaugh,  at  the  Bervie 
Water,  and  at  Elfhill,  areas  occur  to  which  has  been 
applied  the  term  Highland  Border  rocks.  On  the  coast 
between  Cowie  and  Garron  Point,  but  on  the  south  side 


GEOLOGY 


21 


of  the  Highland  Fault,  rocks  similar  in  their  lithological 
characters  have  yielded  fossils  which  indicate  that  they 
are  in  all  probability  of  Cambrian  age.  Another  inter- 
esting suite  of  rocks  occupying  the  coast  section  from 
Ruthery  Head  to  Stonehaven  Harbour,  and  extending 

...i^,,,  "1 


Felsite  Sill  near  Cove 

inland  for  7  miles,  has  recently  been  shown  to  contain 
characteristic  Silurian  fossils. 

The  Old  Red  Sandstone  system  of  Scotland  is  sub- 
divided into  Lower,  Middle,  and  Upper.  Rocks  belonging 
to  the  Lower  series  occupy  most  of  the  southern  half 
of  Kincardineshire.  The  Middle  series  is  absent,  and 
the  Upper  is  found  only  in  a  narrow  tract  along  the 
coast  near  St  Cyrus. 

The  Dalradian  rocks  may  be  studied  most  conveniently 


22  KINCARDINESHIRE 

in  the  cliffs  between  Garron  Point  and  the  Bay  of  Nigg, 
but  numerous  good  sections  are  exposed  in  the  streams 
which  traverse  the  hills  between  the  valley  of  the  Dee, 
and  the  border  of  the  Highlands.  Intrusive  rocks  of 
various  types  are  found  associated  with  the  Dalradian 
rocks.  In  the  neighbourhood  of  Banchory,  for  example, 
these  have  been  "  flooded  "  with  a  very  old  granite  ; 
and  later  dykes  are  everywhere  abundant.  Further, 
the  dominating  features  in  the  scenery  of  the  northern 
half  of  the  county  are  produced  by  intrusive  rocks — 
the  "  newer  "  granites  on  either  side  of  the  valley  of 
the  Dee. 

The  Highland  Border  rocks  consist  of  two  groups  : 
an  older  series  (probably  Cambrian)  made  up  of  green 
pillowy  lavas,  associated  with  red  jaspers,  green  cherts, 
and  black  shales  ;  and  a  younger  series  of  conglomerate 
grits,  limestone,  and  shales.  Both  groups  show  a 
splendid  development  at  the  "  Rocks  of  Solitude  "  in 
Glenesk  ;  and  the  fossiliferous  shales  of  the  older  series 
may  be  hammered  in  the  cliffs  at  Craigeven  Bay,  Stone- 
h,aven.  The  most  abundant  fossils  are  early  types  of 
Brachiopods  or  lamp  shells.  The  limestone  of  the 
younger  series  was  at  one  time  extensively  worked. 

During  early  Silurian  times  the  region  to  the  north 
of  the  Highland  Fault  began  to  undergo  compression 
and  elevation.  The  Dalradian  rocks  and  the  rocks  of 
the  Highland  Border  series  were  thrown,  into  great 
folds ;  the  coastal  movements  moreover  heralded  a 
violent  outburst  of  volcanic  activity.  We  may  picture 
the  Grampians  of  that  period  as  a  lofty  mountain 


GEOLOGY  23 

range  with  numerous  active  volcanoes,  snow-covered 
doubtless,  and  resembling  perhaps  the  Andes  of  the 
present  day. 

The  magnificent  cliffs  from  Stonehaven  southwards 
afford  splendid  opportunities  for  the  study  of  the  Lower 
Old  Red  Sandstone.  Coarse  conglomerates  predomin- 
ate, but  occasionally  give  place  to  micaceous  sandstones, 
while  at  intervals  the  succession  of  bedded  rocks  is 
broken  by  massive  piles  of  lavas.  Some  of  the  bedded 
rocks,  too,  on  close  examination,  prove  to  be  volcanic 
tuffs,  the  consolidated  "  ashes  "  of  the  contemporaneous 
volcanoes.  Tuffs  occur  also  at  Cowie,  where  their 
presence  shows  that  volcanic  activity  had  already  begun 
in  Silurian  times.  It  continued  until  almost  the  close 
of  the  Lower  Old  Red  Sandstone  period.  The  hard 
resistant  lavas  form  most  of  the  high  ground  in  the 
southern  half  of  the  county.  The  Garvock  Hills,  for 
example,  are  built  up  for  the  most  part  of  a  great  suc- 
cession of  lava  flows,  and  show  beautifully  from  certain 
points  of  view  the  characteristic  step-like  arrangement 
which  suggested  the  old  name  of  "  trap  "  rocks. 

At  the  close  of  Lower  Old  Red  Sandstone  times  coastal 
movements  again  made  themselves  felt  in  no  uncertain 
fashion.  The  rocks  of  this  period  were  compressed 
into  simple  "  saddle-shaped  "  and  "  trough-shaped  " 
folds — the  Howe  of  the  Mearns  marks  the  position  of 
one  of  the  latter — and  then,  too,  in  all  probability, 
was  initiated  differential  movement  along  the  line  of 
the  Highland  Fault.  The  forces  of  denudation  became 
active,  and  from  the  disintegration  of  the  L,ower  Old 


24  KINCARDINESHIRE 

Red  Sandstone  and  older  rocks  were  built  up  the  bedded 
rocks  of  the  Upper  Old  Red  Sandstone.  The  latter 
formation  occurs  in  the  coastal  track  between  St  Cyrus 
and  the  mouth  of  the  North  Esk,  and  is  everywhere 
separated  from  the  Lower  Old  Red  Sandstone  by  lines 
of  faulting.  A  vast  epoch  of  time  intervened  between 
the  deposition  of  the  two  formations.  No  fossils  have 
been  obtained  so  far  from  the  Upper  series  in  Kin- 
cardineshire,  and  the  age  of  the  rocks  is  inferred  from 
their  structural  relations  and  from  their  lithological 
resemblances  to  fossiliferous  rocks  of  like  age  in  other 
parts  of  Scotland.  One  of  the  most  characteristic  rocks 
is  a  variety  of  nodular  limestone  known  as  "  cornstone." 
This,  like  the  limestones  of  the  Highland  Border,  was 
at  one  time  burned  for  lime. 

,  Now  follows,  as  regards  our  county,  a  great  gap  in 
the  geological  record.  Of  the  story  of  the  remainder 
of  the  Palaeozoic  epoch,  and  of  the  whole  of  the  Meso- 
zoic  and  Cainozoic  times  the  rocks  of  Kincardineshire 
tell  us  but  little,  and  that  little  very  indirectly.  In  the 
Upper  Old  Red. Sandstone  period  the  highest  forms  of 
life  were  primitive  fishes.  Amphibians,  reptiles,  birds 
and  mammals  had,  in  succession,  been  evolved. 

The  Post-Tertiary  deposits  in  Kincardineshire  con- 
sist mostly  of  accumulations  of  sand  and  gravel,  and 
of  boulder  clay  or  till  with  its  characteristic  striated 
boulders.  They  tell  us  of  a  time  not  so  very  long  ago, 
geologically  speaking,  when  the  whole  of  Scotland,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  of  the  highest  mountain  peaks, 
was  buried  deep  in  the  ice  sheet  of  the  Great  Ice  Age. 


CQ 
to 


DQ 


26  KINCARDINESHIRE 

The  striated  stones  are  the  tools  with  which  the  ice 
sheet  accomplished  its  work.  How  effectively  that 
work  was  done  is  evidenced  by  the  rounded,  flowing 
contours  of  our  hills,  by  the  presence  of  boulder  clay 
and  erratic  blocks,  by  the  glacial  grooving  on  a  big  scale 


Striated  Stone  from  Nigg  Bay 

wherever  belts  of  soft  rock  lay  in  the  path  of  the  ice, 
and  by  the  preservation  of  the  ancient  bottom  moraine, 
the  great  thickness  of  till  which  conceals  the  solid 
rocks  over  much  of  the  county.  That  the  minor  surface 
features  are  largely  glacial  in  origin  cannot  for  a  moment 
be  doubted.  One  instance  must  suffice.  No  one  travel- 
ling along  the  Howe  of  the  Mearns  can  fail  to  note  the 
contrast  offered  by  the  bordering  hills.  On  the  one 


NATURAL  HISTORY  27 

side,  the  even  boulder-clay-covered  slopes  of  the  Garvock 
Hills  rise  gently  from  the  plain  ;  on  the  other,  every 
valley  opening  from  the  Grampians  is  fronted  by  one 
or  more  steep-faced  terraces.  The  terraces  consist  of 
sand  and  gravel  deposited  in  lakes  formed  at  a  time  when, 
while  the  local  hills  were  free  from  ice,  a  great  lobe  of 
the  Highland  ice  sheet  still  occupied  the  Howe.  Similar 
phenomena  are  seen  in  the  wide  valley  of  the  Dee. 

7.  Natural  History 

In  recent  times — recent,  tint  is,  geologically — no  sea 
separated  Britain  from  the  Continent.  The  present  bed 
of  the  North  Sea  was  a  low  plain  intersected  by  streams. 
At  that  period,  then,  the  plants  and  the  animals  of  our 
country  were  identical  with  those  of  Western  Europe. 
But  the  Ice  Age  came  and  crushed  out  life  in  this  region. 
In  time,  as  the  ice  melted,  the  flora  and  fauna  gradually 
returned,  for  the  land-bridge  still  existed.  Had  it 
continued  to  exist,  our  plants  and  animals  would  have 
been  the  same  as  in  Northern  France  and  the  Nether- 
lands. But  the  sea  drowned  the  land  and  cut  off 
Britain  from  the  Continent  before  all  the  species  found 
a  home  here.  Consequently,  on  the  east  of  the  North 
Sea  all  our  mammals  and  reptiles,  for  example,  are 
found  along  with  many  which  are  not  indigenous  to 
Britain.  In  Scotland,  however,  we  are  proud  to  possess 
in  the  red  grouse  a  bird  not  belonging  to  the  fauna  of 
the  Continent. 

The  flora  of  Great  Britain  has  been  divided,  as  regards 


28  KINCARDINESHIRE 

climatic  types,  into  four  classes — (i)  Alpine ;  (2)  Sub- 
Alpine  ;  (3)  Lowland ;  (4)  Maritime.  Kincardineshire, 
with  its  diversified  soil  and  situation  and  with  an  eleva- 
tion reaching  over  2000  ft.,  has  representatives  of  all 
the  four  classes.  The  county  as  a  whole  is  remarkably 
rich  in  the  number  and  the  variety  of  its  wild  plants, 
while  several  spots  within  it  have  acquired  more  than 
a  local  reputation  as  a  hunting  ground  for  the  botanist. 
Thus,  we  have  on  the  coast  the  well-known  St  Cyrus 
braes,  where,  owing  to  favourable  conditions,  a  large 
number  of  plants  occur  that  are  not  found  in  other 
parts  of  the.  county.  Here  the  volcanic  rocks  decom- 
pose into  a  light  brown  soil,  extremely  suitable  for  the 
growth  of  wild  flowers,  unless  when  exposed  to  con- 
tinuous drought,  which  in  our  climate  does  not  often 
occur.  The  exposure  of  "the  rocks,  forming  cliffs  almost 
200  ft.  high,  facing  south  and  east,  adds  to  the  warmth 
afforded  by  the  soil.  Here,  during  the  summer,  may  be 
seen  in  abundance  the  pretty  little  maiden  pink,  the 
prolific  rest  harrow,  bladder  campion,  viper's  bugloss, 
bloody  crane's  bill,  hemp  agrimony,  common  cudweed 
(the  herba  impia  of  old  writers),  butterbur,  marjoram, 
goat's  beard,  red  poppy,  field  pepperwort,  soft  knotted 
clover,  rough  podded  yellow  vetch,  field  garlic,  wild 
sweet  pea,  Nottingham  catch-fly,  and  others. 

On  the  loose  sands  along  the  banks  of  the  North  Esk 
and  in  the  salt  marshes  at  its  mouth  grow  the  lesser 
meadow  rue,  the  sea  rocket,  the  thrift  or  sea  pink,  the 
prickly  saltwort  and  other  similar  plants.  Close  to  the 
river,  on  ground  liable  to  be  flooded  at  high  tides,  may 


NATURAL  HISTORY  29 

be  found  sea  pearlwort,  sandwort  spurreys,  sea  milk- 
wort,  jointed  glasswort,  sea  arrow  grass,  and  several 
varieties  of  sedges.  Grass  wrack,  one  of  the  few  flower- 
ing plants  of  salt  water,  grows  in  the  mud  at  the  old 
mouth  of  the  river. 

The  braes  and  seashore  of  Muchalls,  though  inferior 
to  St  Cyrus  in  number  and  variety  of  specimens,  are 
of  great  interest  to  botanists.  Besides  some  of  the 
commoner  plants  already  mentioned,  Muchalls  supplies 
lamb's  lettuce,  sea  wormwood,  white  campion,  the 
lovely  oyster  plant,  and  several  varieties  of  worts, 
willow  herbs,  vetches  and  sedges. 

Inland,  wild  flowers  abound,  especially  along  the 
rivers,  in  the  sheltered  glens,  and  on  the  wooded  hills. 
To  mention  only  a  few,  we  have  lung  \vort,  wintergreen, 
cordalys,  wood  bitter  vetch,  celery-leaved  crowfoot, 
buckbean  or  bogbean,  water  plantain,  comfrey  ;  with 
such  commoner  forms  as  ragged  robin,  greater  and  lesser 
celandine,  lady's  bedstraw,  knapweed,  golden  rod,  eye- 
bright,  field  gentian,  forget-me-not,  and  ground  ivy. 
The  Alpine  flora  includes  Alpine  lady's  mantle,  willow 
herb,  mountain  and  water  avens ;  and  in  the  bogs 
and  marshy  slopes,  sundew  (Drosera  rotundifolia  and 
D.  latifolia],  very  plentiful  in  Netherley  moss,  butter- 
wort,  bog  orchis,  bog  violet,  and  others. 

Numerous  varieties  of  the  mosses  of  north-east 
Scotland  occur  in  Kincardineshire,  in  the  wet  and  boggy 
parts  by  river  banks,  as  at  the  Burn  or  along  the  Dee 
valley,  and  at  the  seaside.  Of  ferns,  beside  the  common 
polypody,  which  is  very  abundant,  we  find  the  beech 


30  KINCARDINESHIRE 

fern,  the  graceful  oak  fern,  five  varieties  of  the  Aspidia 
(including  the  rough  Alpine  shield  and  the  close-leaved 
prickly  shield),  the  bladder  fern.  Five  or  six  spleen- 
worts  (including  the  wall  rue  spleenwort  and  the  sea 
spleenwort)  grow  along  the  cliffs  in  the  south  of  the 
county  and  as  far  north  as  Muchalls  and  Portlethen, 
where  also  the  black  spleenwort  has  been  gathered. 

The  fauna  of  Kincardineshire  includes  the  ordinary 
animals  of  the  country.  The  fox  is  not  so  numerous  as 
he  was  in  the  early  years  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
when  fox  hunting,  now  entirely  given  up  in  the  shire, 
was  indulged  in  by  some  of  the  county  gentlemen. 
The  brown  hare  has,  however,  increased  very  much  in 
numbers,  not  always  to  the  advantage  of  the  farmer's 
crops.  The  blue  or  mountain  hare  is  plentiful  on 
the  Grampian  slopes.  Wild  rabbits,  known  only  as 
children's  pets  in  the  county  before  1808,  abound 
everywhere.  The  otter  is  occasionally  seen  by  the  side 
of  the  larger  streams,  but  the  badger  and  wild  cat 
are  now  extinct.  Squirrels,  unknown  in  the  county  a 
century  ago,  are  now  fairly  numerous.  Roe  deer  are 
found  in  the  lower  Grampian  slopes,  and  red  deer 
sometimes  in  the  Glen  of  Dye  and  elsewhere.  Grouse 
and  partridge  are  numerous,  while  the  heron  builds  in 
the  high  trees  by  the  North  Esk  and  the  Bervie,  and  may 
be  seen  feeding  in  the  river  pools.  The  capercailzie  has 
come  by  Dye  and  Feugh  to  Dee. 

To  the  sea  birds  the  cliffs  afford  a  secure  retreat 
and  a  fitting  nursery.  The  guillemot,  credited  errone- 
ously with  being  a  stupid  bird,  asserts  his  superiority 


NATURAL  HISTORY 


31 


in  number  over  the  kittiwakes,  tommie-nories,  or 
Greenland  parrots,  gulls  and  coots,  which  inhabit 
the  precipitous  ledges  of  their  summer  home. 


Gulls'  Crag,  Stonehaven 

With  the  increase  of  woods  and  other  shelter  the 
smaller  birds  have  increased  in  number.  The  yellow- 
hammer,  hedge  sparrow,  chaffinch,  stonechat,  and  other 
similar  birds  are  everywhere  in  evidence  by  the  road- 


32  KINCARDINESHIRE 

sides  and  fields,  while  the  blackbird,  the  starling,  and 
the  mavis  are  not  averse  to  sampling  the  products  of 
the  fruit  garden  in  summer  or  early  autumn. 

The  goldfinch  and  the  siskin  are  now  extremely 
rare,  while  the  magpie  is  decreasing  in  numbers.  The 
ptarmigan  is  extinct.  The  golden  -eagle  is  practically 
extinct,  though  one  or  two  have  been  sighted  in  the 
hills  above  Drumtochty.  Rare  visitants  are  the  quail, 
snow-bunting,  great  spotted  woodpecker,  Bohemian 
waxwing,  little  auk,  Manx  shearwater,  hen  harrier, 
peregrine  falcon,  and  common  buzzard  ;  but  these  can 
only  be  regarded  as  accidental  visitors,  driven  thither 
by  stress  of  weather  or  other  circumstances. 

8.  The  Coast 

The  seaboard,  35  miles  in  length,  which  Kincardine- 
shire  possesses,  is  perhaps  as  interesting  as  any  other 
part  of  the  Scottish  coast,  on  account  not  merely  of  its 
picturesque  rock  scenery  but  also  of  its  historical  asso- 
ciations. All  the  way  paths  run  close  to  the  sea,  from 
many  points  in  which  splendid  views  can  be  got  of 
maritime  and  inland  scenery,  though  undoubtedly  we 
obtain  the  best  idea  of  its  beauty  when  sailing  along 
the  coast.  Like  most  of  the  eastern  seaboard  of  Scot- 
land, the  Kincardineshire  portion  is  much  exposed  to 
the  strong  gales  sweeping  in  from  the  North  Sea ;  and 
this,  combined  with  the  rocky  nature  of  the  greater 
part  of  the  shore,  accounts  for  many  of  the  shipping 
disasters  that  occur. 


i 
I 

t»0 


34  KINCARDINESHIRE 

Starting  our  peregrination  from  Aberdeen  we  note 
first  the  Bay  of  Nigg,  flanked  on  the  north  by  the 
lighthouse  of  Girdleness,  and  on  the  south  by  Greg 
Ness,  the  circular  outline  of  the  bay  being  fringed  by 
a  beautiful  pebbly  shore.  Here,  formerly,  was  the 


Low  Tide  at  Nigg  Bay 

(Showing  stones  from  cliff  of  boulder  clay) 

mouth  of  the  Dee,  which  flowed  in  the  hollow  from 
Craiginches.  On  the  bay  stands  a  fish-hatchery  with 
laboratory.  A  little  inland  is  St  Fittick's  ruined  church. 
Prominent  on  the  south  of  the  bay  is  a  cliff  of  boulder 
clay,  the  rapid  erosion  of  which  has  littered  the  beach 
with  thousands  of  stones. 

Passing  on,  we  find  the  coast  bold,  rocky,  and  pictur- 
esque ;    and  we  reach  in  succession  the  small  fishing 


36  KINCARDINESHIRE 

villages  of  Cove  and  Portlethen.  Between  them,  but 
back  from  the  cliffs,  is  Findon,  world-famous  as  the 
original  home  of  the  "  Finnan  haddock."  "  The 
haddocks  cured  there,"  says  Thom  (History  of  Aberdeen), 
"  are  superior  in  flavour  and  taste  to  any  other,  which 
is  attributed  to  the  nature  of  the  turf  used  in  smoking 
them."  The  industry  is  now  entirely  given  up  in 
Findon.  Skateraw,  a  little  further  south,  is,  like  the 
other  creeks,  reached  by  a  narrow,  circuitous  path  down 
the  sea  slopes,  up  which  in  former  days  the  hardy 
fishermen  carried  in  their  creels  the  shining  "  harvest 
of  the  sea  "  to  be  transported  by  road  or  rail  to  the 
larger  centres  of  population.  Part  of  the  fish  supplies 
landed  here  were  split  and  sun-dried  on  the  stony  beach, 
and  went  by  the  name  of  "  speldings."  Like  the 
"  Finnan  haddie,"  these,  when  properly  cooked,  were 
held  in  high  esteem.  The  small  burn  of  Elsick,  spanned 
by  a  substantial  railway  viaduct,  here  enters  the  sea. 

The  next  part  of  the  coast,  adjacent  to  the  neat 
little  village  of  Muchalls,  has  received  much  attention 
from  the  painter  of  maritime  subjects,  and  deservedly 
so,  because  of  the  artistic  beauty  of  the  rugged,  weather- 
beaten  cliffs.  Here  by  the  ceaseless  action  of  the 
elements  the  softer  portions  of  the  cliffs  have  been 
scooped  out  into  long,  deep  gullies  through  which  in 
stormy  mood  the  sea  rolls  with  resounding  and  majestic 
grandeur.  The  "  Fisher's  Shore,"  the  "  Grim  Brigs  " 
with  its  wonderful  arches  of  Nature's  own  devising,  the 
"  Old  Man,"  and  the  "  Scarfs  Crag,"  around  and  above 
which  for  ever  breaks  the  crested  wave,  are  notable 


THE  COAST 


37 


points  whose  names,  like  that  of  "  Gin  Shore,"  a  little 
further  south,  are  reminiscent  of  the  past,  and  full  of 
interest  and  suggestion. 

Between  Muchalls  and  Stonehaven  we  pass  Garron 
Point,  on  whose  green  summit  stand  the  picturesque 
ruins  of  the  old  chapel  of  Cowie.  The  little  fishing 


Dunnottar  from  the  North 

village  of  Cowie  nestles  below  the  cliffs,  while  above, 
skirting  the  shore,  is  the  Stonehaven  Golf  Course,  from 
which  splendid  views  can  be  had  of  sea  and  shore. 

Stonehaven  Bay  extends  in  a  circular  sweep  from 
Garron  Point  to  Downie  Point.  Alongside  of  its  pebbly 
beach  runs  a  promenade,  flanked  on  the  north  by 
extensive  recreation  grounds.  Its  waters  give  ample 
scope  for  bathing  and  boating,  while  the  dull  grey  and 
brown  outlines  of  the  Old  Town  dwellings  at  the  southern 
end  impart  an  old-world  appearance  to  the  scene. 


38 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


Rounding  the  Black  Hill,  from  the  top  of  which 
unrolls  one  of  the  finest  views  of  town,  coast  and  inland, 
we  reach  the  historic  castle  of  Dunnottar,  where,  as 
Carlyle's  eulogy  of  the  famous  Marshal  Keith  reminds 
us,  "  The  hoarse  sea  winds  and  caverns  sing  vague 


Fowlsheugh 

requiems  to  his  honourable  line  and  him."  Here  the 
panorama  formed  by  cliffs  and  bay  is  magnificent — the 
former  almost  170  ft.  high  with  cathedral-like  arches, 
the  latter  with  gloomy  creeks  and  caverns.  The  very 
names,  as  "  Brun  Cheek,"  "  Maiden  Kaim,"  "  Long 
Gallery,"  "  Wine  Cove,"  testify  to  Nature's  handiwork 
and  skill.  South  of  Trelung  Ness  we  reach  the  highest 


THE  COAST  39 

of  the  rocks,  the  cliffs  of  Fowlsheugh,  the  noted  nursery 
for  sea  birds,  extending  over  a  mile.  The  birds  make 
their  nests  in  the  crevices  of  the  conglomerate  rock, 
out  of  which  by  constant  weathering  pebbles  have  been 


The  Great  Cave,  Fowlsheugh 

(Looking  out  to  sea) 

forced,  affording  a  natural  nesting-place.     The  spectacle 
of  the  myriads  of  birds  in  early  summer,  on 

"  the  dreadful  summit  of  the  cliff 
That  beetles  o'er  his  base  into  the  sea," 

is  most  interesting  and  instructive,  and  will  well  repay 
a  visit  from  others  than  bird-lovers. 

Between  Fowlsheugh  Point  and  Bervie  Bay  the  cliffs 
are  still  bold  and  precipitous,  with  generally  uo  beach 
between  their  base  and  the  deep  .water.  Todhead  light- 


40  KINCARDINESHIRE 

house  stands  on  a  prominent  headland  at  the  southern 
extremity  of  Braidon  Bay,  a  little  beyond  the  old 
fashioned  fishing  village  of  Catterline.  Craig  David, 
a  few  miles  further  south,  overlooking  Bervie  Bay, 
marks  the  terminus  of  the  high  cliffs  which  form  the 
naturarwall  of  protection  to  most  of  the  Kincardineshire 
coast. 

From  this  point  onwards  the  configuration  of  the 
coast-line  is  entirely  different.  The  beach  is  now  low, 
pebble-strewn,  and  gravelly,  with  low,  shelving  rocks 
jutting  out  to  the  sea.  Gourdon — dominated  by 
Gourdon  Hill,  a  noted  landmark  for  seamen — and 
Johnshaven  have  both  small  harbours,  their  appearance 
from  above  being  quaint  and  picturesque.  A  little 
further  south  is  the  hamlet  of  Milton  of  Mathers. 
Rounding  a  bend  in  the  coast  we  pass  the  Kaim  of 
Mathers,  and  reach  St  Cyrus  braes,  varying  in  height 
from  50  to  300  ft.  On  the  summit  stands  conspicuous 
the  parish  church  with  its  lofty  spire.  Passing  over  a 
flat  beach  of  fine  sand  bound  together  by  sea  grasses 
and  other  marine  plants,  we  end  our  perambulation  of 
the  coast  at  the  mouth  of  the  North  Esk. 

The  coast-line  of  the  county  bears  witness  to  the 
gigantic  power  of  marine  erosion.  Cliffs  and  bays, 
caves  and  half-tide  stacks,  show  that  the  action  of  the 
sea  in  sculpturing  coastal  scenery  is  everywhere  guided 
by  rock-composition  and  structure.  In  this  connection 
we  may  quote  the  words  of  Sir  Charles  Lyell  with 
regard  to  a  case  of  historic  interest.  "  On  the  coast 
of  Kincardineshire  an,  illustration  was  afforded,  at 


o 
O 


I 

O 


42  KINCARDINESHIRE 

the  close  of  last  century  [the  eighteenth],  of  the 
effect  of  promontories  in  protecting  a  line  of  low- 
shore.  The  village  of  Mathers,  two  miles  south  of 
Johnshaven,  was  built  on  an  ancient  shingle  beach, 
protected  by  a  projecting  ledge  of  limestone  rock.  This 
was  quarried  for  lime  to  such  an  extent  that  the  sea 
broke  through,  and  in  1795  carried  away  the  whole 
village  in  one  night,  and  penetrated  150  yards  inland, 
where  it  has  maintained  its  ground  ever  since,  the  new 
village  having  been  built  further  inland  on  the  new 
shore." 

In  late  glacial  and  post-glacial  times  there  took  place 
alterations  in  the  relative  level  of  land  and  sea.  The 
raised  beaches  of  the  coast  and  the  alluvial  tracts  of 
the  river  valleys  were  formed  when  the  land  stood  rela- 
tively lower  than  at  present.  Two  sets  of  beaches  are 
clearly  marked  in  Kincardineshire.  Both  are  well  seen 
at  Stonehaven,  the  newer  part  of  which  is  built  on  the 
flat  of  the  loo-ft.  beach,  the  older  on  the  25-ft.  beach. 
The  lower  beach  shows  its  best  development  southwards 
from  Bervie,  the  old  sea-cliff  forming  a  strong  feature 
all  the  way  to  the  mouth  of  the  North  Esk,  and  the  flat 
rocky  foreshore  of  the  present  sea  margin  offering  a 
striking  contrast  to  the  frowning  cliffs  which  bound  the 
shore  from  Bervie  to  Stonehaven  harbour.  That  the 
land  at  one  period  stood,  higher  (or  the  sea  lower)  than 
at  present  is  shown  by  the  occurrence  of  a  buried  forest 
beneath  the  25-ft.  beach. 


CLIMATE  AND  RAINFALL  43 

9.  Climate  and  Rainfall 

The  climate  of  a  district,  which  may  generally  be 
defined  as  its  average  weather,  depends  upon  the 
amount  of  heat  and  moisture,  and  these  in  turn  depend 
upon  latitude,  altitude,  slope,  and,  in  some  degree  also, 
on  the  state  of  cultivation.  Britain  is  in  the  same 
latitude  as  ice-bound  Labrador,  yet  it  possesses  a 
temperate  climate,  due  to  the  fact  that  the  prevailing 
winds  being  from  the  west  or  south-west  bring  with 
them  a  certain  amount  of  moisture  and  heat  acquired 
in  their  passage  over  the  Atlantic,  which  is  three  degrees 
warmer  than  the  air.  This  explains  why  the  west  coast 
of  Britain  is  warmer  than  the  east.  For  the  same 
reason  the  east  is  drier  than  the  west,  for  the  winds  in 
passing  over  the  mountains  part  with  their  moisture 
before  reaching  the  east  coast. 

The  physical  configuration  of  Kincardineshire  has 
much  to  do  with  both  its  temperature  and  its  rainfall. 
Situated  on  the  extreme  south-eastern  slope  of  the 
central  highlands,  it  has  behind  it  the  immense  ex- 
tent of  the  Aberdeenshire,  Perthshire,  and  Argyleshire 
mountains,  shutting  it  off  from  the  Atlantic  seaboard. 
Thus  the  winds  of  /winter  from  that  quarter  get  gradu- 
ally cooled  and,  reaching  the  east,  speak  not  of  the 
warm  Atlantic,  but  of  the  snow-clad  Grampians.  One 
degree  of  diminution  of  temperature  for  every  300  ft. 
of  elevation  brings  the  west-coast  temperature  of  39° 
for  January  down  to  29°,  or  3°  below  freezing  point, 
at  the  ridge  of  the  Grampians,  an  elevation  of  almost 


44 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


3000  ft.  above  sea-level.  There  is,  even  at  sea-level, 
a  difference  of  from  2°  to  3°  between  the  mean  annual 
temperature  of  the  west  and  the  east  coast. 

The  mean  annual  temperature  of  the  county  is  46°  ; 
of  summer  58°;  and  of  winter  37°.  For  comparison 
we  give  the  temperature  at  Cowie  Mains,  Stonehaven, 
for  four  years : 


Year 

Average 
Maximum 

Highest 
Maximum 

Average 
Minimum 

Lowest 
Minimum 

1909 
1910 
1911 
1912 

50.08 
50-95 
56.5 
56.1 

64.58 
62.2 
60.25 
62.16 

37.62 
40.45 
41    . 
40.8 

31-79 
29-3 
31-37 

30-5« 

Average 

534 

62.29 

39-97 

30.76 

During  the  winter  the  greatest  amount  of  snow  is 
from  north-east  and  east,  the  most  intense  colds  are 
from  north  and  north-west,  and  the  greatest  amount  of 
heat  from  south  and  south-west.  The  fact  that  Kin- 
cardineshire  lies  open  and  shelterless  to  the  North  Sea 
accounts  for  the  biting  winds  of  early  spring,  often 
accompanied  by  heavy  rains.  From  the  same  source 
very  often  in  April  and  May  chill  haars  and  hazes  set 
in  towards  evening.  Hoar  frosts  are  prevalent  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  mosses  and  low-lying  marshy  spots 
in  the  county,  although  by  improved  drainage  and 
cultivation  the  area  subject  to  this  has  been  materially 
reduced. 


CLIMATE  AND  RAINFALL  45 

Kincardineshire,  being  much  diversified  into  hill  and 
dale,  with  a  great  variety  of  altitude  and  exposure,  has 
a  difference  of  climate  in  its  various  divisions.  Deeside, 
for  example,  although  in  the  extreme  north  of  the 
county,  is  the  warmest  district.  This  arises  from  several 
causes.  First,  it  has  a  genial  southern  exposure. 
Secondly,  it  is  sheltered  by  a  number  of  small  hills 
rising  gradually  from  the  Dee.  Its  dry  gravelly  soil 
readily  absorbs  any  excess  of  moisture,  while  its  pine 
woods  and  thriving  plantations  moderate  the  climate 
as  well  as  adorn  the  landscape. 

The  climate  of  the  Howe  is  both  warm  and  equable. 
On  the  north  the  Howe  is  protected  by  the  Grampians  ; 
on  the  south  and  the  east  it  is  sheltered  by  the  Garvock 
Heights  from  the  full  sweep  of  the  North  Sea  winds  in 
winter  and  early  spring  ;  at  the  southern  extremity  it 
is  open  to  the  genial  westerly  breezes  of  summer. 

In  the  heat  of  summer  the  coast  is  delightfully  cool 
and  refreshing ;  but  the  glens  and  hollows  of  the 
Grampians  are  often  very  close  and  warm,  though 
extremely  cold  in  winter. 

On  the  whole,  the  climate  of  Kincardineshire  is  bracing 
and  healthy,  with  remarkably  pure  and  exhilarating  air. 

The  rainfall  of  the  county,  compared  with  the  exces- 
sive fall  on  the  west  coast  of  Scotland,  is  relatively 
small.  The  mean  depth  in  inches  is  32.25,  as  against 
40,  45,  or  even  70  inches  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  and 
44  for  the  whole  country.  At  Stonehaven  the  average 
annual  rainfall  for  the  past  twenty-one  years  has  only 
been  27.13  inches  ;  which  partly  explains  its  popularity 


Rainfall  Map  of  Scotland 

(By  Andrew  Watt,  M.A.) 


CLIMATE  AND  RAINFALL 


47 


as  a  holiday  resort.  During  the  same  period  the  average 
for  any  month  of  the  year  has  not  been  more  than 
3  inches  of  rainfall,  the  average  for  the  first  four  months 
of  the  year  being  1.86  inches.  An  increase  in  elevation 
usually  brings  with  it  an  increased  rainfall.  Thus  the 

(iO  in. 


Fasque 
House 


Cowie 
Mains 


1892  1902 

Rainfall  Diagram 


1912 


Burn,  14  miles  inland,  with  an  elevation  of  about 
300  ft.,  has  a  fall  of  over  35  inches  ;  Banchory  (almost 
200  ft.)  30  inches ;  Fettercairn  (230  ft.)  32  inches. 
The  diagram,  above,  of  the  rainfall  for  twenty-one 
years,  from  1892  to  1912  inclusive,  at  Cowie  Mains, 
Stonehaven,  and  at  Fasque  House  (330  ft.  above 
sea-level),  illustrates  this,  besides  showing  the  annual 
variations  in  rainfall  at  each  of  these  places ;  and  may 
be  regarded  as  fairly  typical  of  the  maritime  and  the 
inland  districts  of  the  county. 


48  KINCARDINESHIRE 

10.  People — Race,  Language,  Population 

The  Alexandrine  geographer  Ptolemy  gives  the 
dwellers  between  Dee  and  Tay  the  name  of  Venicones. 
These  were  part  of  the  race  of  Picts,  who  occupied 
Eastern  Scotland  from  the  Pentland  Firth  to  the  Forth. 
Through  the  district  now  called  Kincardineshire  ran  the 
dividing  line  between  the  Northern  and  the  Southern 
Picts — the  Grampians.  Gaels  also  from  the  west  found 
their  way  into  this  region. 

Traces  of  the  Pictish  and  the  Gaelic  occupation 
are  discernible  in  place  names.  "  There  is  no 
district,"  says  Dr  Don  (Archceological  Notes  on  Early 
Scotland),  "  in  which  Scottish  land  names  may  be  better 
studied  than  in  the  ancient  and  still  linked  provinces  of 
Angus  and  Mearns  .  .  .  they  hold  almost  every  type 
of  Celtic  and  Saxon  place  name  found  in  the  country." 
Pit  or  pet  and  /other  are  Pictish,  as  Pitnamoon,  Pitforthie, 
Pitskelly,  Pitgarvie,  Pitbeadly,  Fordoun,  Fettercairn.  Of 
Gaelic  origin  are  names  of  rivers,  as  Esk,  Bervie,  Aan, 
Cowie,  Luther  ;  of  mountains,  as  Clochnaben,  Kerloch, 
Cairnmonearn,  Knock,  Carmont,  Bruxie ;  as  well  as 
Kincardine,  Mearns,  and  the  names  of  many  of  the 
parishes. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  fifth  century  the  English 
invasion  began.  Over  the  North  Sea  strangers  came 
sailing  from  Frisia  and  the  adjoining  districts  to  settle 
along  the  coast  and  originate  the  fishing  villages.  From 
these  settlers,  who  in  time  pushed  inland  and  inter- 
married with  Picts  and  Gaels,  the  bulk  of  the  people 


RACE,  LANGUAGE,  POPULATION       49 

have  sprung.  This  blending  has  produced  the  robust 
type  of  character  that  distinguishes  the  inhabitants 
to-day.  Place  names  indicating  English  settlements  are 
those  ending  in  ton,  ham  or  hame,  kirk. 

It  is  doubtful  if  any  Norsemen  made  their  homes 
here.  But  we  find  ness,  from  a  Norse  word  for  headland, 
in  Girdleness,  Greg  Ness. 

The  Celtic  tongue  formerly  spoken  in  Kincardineshire 
retreated  long  ago  before  a  variety  of  Northern  English. 
Gaelic  speaking  is  now  extinct,  though  at  the  census 
of  1911,  78  persons  were  recorded  as  able  to  speak  Gaelic 
and  English. 

The  vernacular  of  the  county  belongs  to  the  Northern 
Division  of  the  Scots  dialects  (extending  along  the  east 
from  the  Tay  to  Caithness),  but  it  has  a  few  Midland 
characteristics.  In  pronunciation,  for  example,  while 
in  the  regions  towards  the  Dee  words  like  moon,  school, 
good  are  sounded  in  the  northern  way  as  meen,  skweel, 
gweed,  in  the  south  they  have  the  ui  vowel  sound,  some- 
thing akin  to  the  sound  in  French  mur,  peu.  The  change 
of  wh  to  /  (characteristic  of  the  old  Pictish  region)  is  in 
Kincardineshire  still  heard,  but  mostly  in  fa,  fat,  fan  = 
who,  what,  when,  and  such  like.  The  vowel  sound  in 
the  pronunciation  of  one,  bone,  stone  is  as  in  the  Aber- 
deenshire  een,  been,  steen.  Stonehaven  is  locally  known 
as  Steenhive.  Unheard  north  of  the  Dee  is  the  pro- 
nunciation of  knock,  knee,  as  tnock,  tnee.  This  links 
the  dialect  with  Forfarshire,  and  reminds  one  of  J.  M. 
Barrie's  Tnowhead  for  Knowhead.  It  may  be  also  noted 
that  the  forms  this  and  that  are  plural  as  well  as  singular. 
D 


50  KINCARDINESHIRE 

This  steens,  that  beens  are  these  stones,  those  bones. 
Dialect  differences,  however,  are  to  a  certain  extent 
disappearing  under  the  influence  of  schools,  newspapers, 
and  easy  communications. 

As  regards  population  Kincardineshire  with  41,007 
inhabitants  stands  twenty-fourth  in  the  list  of  Scottish 
counties.  Since  1801,  when  the  first  census  was  taken, 
there  has  been  an  increase  over  the  whole  county  of 
14,659,  or  55  per  cent.  From  that  date  each  decennial 
census  has  shown  an  increase  with  the  exception  of 
those  of  1861  and  1881,  when  the  decreases  were  very 
small.  The  relatively  great  increase  in  the  1901  returns 
(14.8  per  cent.)  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  11,428  were 
included  in  the  Kincardineshire-  returns  as  the  popula- 
tion of  Torry,  which  really  forms  part  of  Aberdeen  city. 
With  this  excluded,  the  population  of  the  rest  of  the 
county  is  found  to  have  decreased  by  1957,  or  6.2 
per  cent. 

ii.  Agriculture 

The  high  position  of  agriculture  in  Kincardineshire 
cannot  be  thoroughly  understood  without  a  reference 
to  the  enthusiasm  for  improvement  displayed  by  many 
of  the  landed  proprietors  in  the  latter  half  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  Of  these  the  most  remarkable 
was  the  famous  agriculturist,  Barclay  of  Urie,  whose 
work,  as  pointed  out  in  Robertson's  Agricultural  Survey, 
reads  like  a  romance.  In  the  half  century  that  followed 
the  Union  of  1707,  he  had  acquired,  from  residence  in 
England,  very  advanced  ideas  in  agricultural  theory 


AGRICULTURE  51 

and  practice  ;  and  not  only  did  he  translate  these  into 
practical  reforms,  but  he  also  infected  others  with  his 
own  keen  desire  for  agricultural  advancement.  When 
he  entered  into  possession  of  Urie,  it  was  "  a  complete 
waste,  consisting  of  bogs,  baulks  and  rigs,  everywhere 
intersected  with  cairns  of  stones  and  moorland."  And 
this  description  might,  with  even  greater  truth,  have 
been  repeated  of  most  of  the  large  estates  in  the  county 
at  that  period.  Such  was  his  energy  that  in  the  short 
space  of  thirty  years  he  materially  improved  2000  acres, 
reclaimed  from  moorland  800  acres,  and  planted  from 
1 200  to  1500  acres  with  trees,  an  evidence  of  the  latter 
work  being  still  seen  in  the  magnificent  woods  of  Urie. 

The  methods  he  employed  were  both  intelligent  and 
skilful.  Throwing  up,  by  trench  ploughing,  the  incred- 
ible quantity  of  stones  which  lay  in  the  soil,  he  utilised 
thousands  and  thousands  of  tons  of  these  in  making 
drains  and  dykes.  The  land  thus  improved  was  treated 
to  a  liberal  supply  of  lime,  to  render  it  more  productive 
and  kindly,  and  better  suited  for  growing  turnips  and 
artificial  grasses,  which  he  introduced  into  crop  rotation, 
a  system  up  to  that  time  sparingly  practised. 

The  neighbouring  proprietors  followed  his  example, 
and  the  closing  years  of  the  eighteenth  century  thus 
became  remarkable  for  agricultural  progress  in  Kin- 
cardineshire.  Since  then  vast  changes  have  taken  place 
in  agricultural  theory  and  practice.  Communication 
between  farm  and  market  has  been  made  much  easier 
by  the  introduction  of  railways  and  the  improvement 
of  roads — a  circumstance  which  has  indirectly  led 


52  KINCARDINESHIRE 

to  the  abolition  of  fairs  and  markets.  Labour-saving 
machinery  has  been  introduced ;  scientific  methods  are 
now  adopted  in  the  culture,  manuring,  and  draining  of 
fields  ;  in  the  rearing,  feeding,  and  general  treatment 
of  his  ivtock,  the  farmer  has  at  his  command  to-day  the 
very  best  results  of  scientific  experiment  and  research. 

In  Kincardineshire  mixed  farming  is  general.  On 
the  hill  grazings  of  the  Grampian  slopes,  more  attention 
is  naturally  paid  to  sheep-rearing  than  to  tillage  ;  but 
even  on  these  farms  all  the  available  land  is  reserved 
for'  cereals  or  grasses. 

The  area  of  the  county  is  248,195  acres,  of  which 
127,923  acres  are  waste  or  heather,  not  under  the 
plough,  which  leaves  about  48  per  cent,  of  cultivated 
land,  as  against  24.2  for  the  whole  country. 

Twenty-first  in  area  and  twenty-fourth  in  population 
among  Scottish  counties,  Kincardineshire  stands  in 
acreage  under  cultivation  as  follows  :  for  barley  7th, 
for  turnips  gth,  for  potatoes  nth,  for  wheat  I2th,  for 
oats  i6th.  The  high  position  in  regard  to  turnips  is 
because  the  county  is  a  feeding  as  well  as  a  breeding 
area  for  cattle  and  sheep.  Practically  one-sixteenth  of 
the  whole  barley  acreage  for  Scotland  is  in  the  Mearns, 
the  soil  oi  which  is  remarkably  well  adapted  for  the 
growth  of  barley.  Of  the  708  acres  of  wheat  grown  in 
the  county  in  1913  more  than  half  was  grown  in  the 
strong  lands  of  the  St  Cyrus  district,  the  remainder 
in  the  Howe,  chiefly  around  Laurencekirk  ;  while  on 
Deeside  with  its  light  gravelly  soil  it  was  entirely  absent. 
The  cultivation  of  oats,  potatoes,  and  turnips  is  well 


AGRICULTURE  53 

distributed  over  the  county.  Only  a  few  acres  are 
given  to  rye  and  beans. 

The  county  does  not,  like  Aberdeenshire  and  Forfar- 
shire,  possess  any  distinctive  breed  of  cattle ;  but 
among  the  early  improvers  of  cattle  breeds  were  several 
notable  Mearns  men  ;  and  to-day  the  Burn  and  the 
Portlethen  herds  are  well  known  to  agriculturists. 

The  following  is  a  comparative  table  of  the  number  of 
the  live  stock  in  the  county  at  the  beginning  of  last 
century  and  in  the  years  1913  and  1917 : 


!                                                                    ! 

1807. 

1913. 

1917. 

Cattle 
Sheep 
Pigs  . 
Horses 

24,825 

24,597 

478 

2,579 

27>73I 
47.694    : 

2,139  : 

4,700    j 

24,717 
48,293 
i..8i6 
5,346 

Frequent  mention  is  made  of  the  abundance  of  timber 
in  Kincardineshire  in  early  days ;  and  the  existing 
plantations  show  the  suitability  of  certain  districts  for 
the  growth  of  forest  trees.  On  the  Durris  estate  some 
of  our  exotic  trees  were  first  introduced,  and  have  given 
the  most  remarkable  results.  Two  species  have  here 
shown  their  superiority — the  Douglas  fir  and  the  Menzies 
spruce.  The  former,  owing  to  its  free  growth,  freedom 
from  disease,  and  wonderful  adaptability  to  a  wide 
range  of  soils,  has  proved  itself  capable  of  producing 
more  volume  per  acre  than  any  other  species  of  exotic 
tree.  One  Durris  specimen  of  the  Douglas  fir,  measured 
in  1904,  was  no  ft.  high.  The  whole  of  the  Deeside 


I 


cc 


O 
O 

I 

;-. 

n 


MANUFACTURES  &  OTHER  INDUSTRIES    55 

district  is,  however,  well  suited  for  the  growth  of  timber, 
the  other  principal  forest  regions  being  along  the  southern 
spurs  of  the  Grampians.  In  many  cases  the  lower  hills 
are  wooded  to  the  summits.  The  usual  trees  grown  are 
Scots  fir,  larch,  spruce,  and  the  commoner  hardwood 
trees — ash,  plane,  elm,  beech,  birch,  and  oak. 

12.  Manufactures  and  Other  Industries 

According  to  the  last  census  returns,  five  out  of  every 
twelve  of  the  adult  population  of  Kincardineshire  were 
directly  engaged  in  agriculture  ;  but  if  we  consider  those 
indirectly  engaged  in  it  and  in  its  allied  occupations, 
the  proportion  would  be  almost  doubled.  Other  in- 
dustries, then,  take  a  secondary  place.  In  the  absence 
of  large  towns  to  attract  the  rural  population,  there  is 
not  much  concentration  of  labour  nor  any  great  develop- 
ment of  the  factory  system,  as  in  Forfarshire. 

The  first  linen-yarn  mill  in  Scotland  was  set  up  at 
Bervie  in  1790  ;  and  flax  spinning,  formerly  an  im- 
portant home  industry,  is  still  carried  on  at  Bervie,  as 
well  as  at  Gourdon  and  Johnshaven.  Handloom  weav- 
ing was  a  widespread  occupation  in  most  of  the  towns 
and  villages  till  steam  power  was  introduced  about 
1850,  when  many  weavers  found  employment  on  the 
infant  railways.  Handloom  linens  are  still  made  in 
Laurencekirk,  but  elsewhere  the  industry  is  extinct. 
Stonehaven  has  a  mill  for  woollen  fabrics  and  hosiery, 
and  a  flourishing  factory  for  fishing-nets. 

There   are   distilleries   at   Glenury,    Fettercairn,    and 


£6  KINCARDINESHIRE 

Auchinblae ;  and  a  brewery  at  Laurencekirk.  The 
development  of  the  bicycle  and  motor-car  industry  has, 
in  recent  years,  given  employment  to  an  increasing 
number  of  skilled  workmen  in  the  county.  Laurence- 
kirk  and  Stonehaven  are  centres  for  carriage  building. 
The  well-wooded  valley  of  the  Dee  has  several  sawmills, 
supplying  pit-props  for  mining  districts  and  timber  for 
box-  or  case-making  in  Aberdeen  and  elsewhere. 

A  manufacture,  long  extinct,  was  the  making  of  a 
special  kind  of  snuff-box  in  Laurencekirk.  The  peculi- 
arity of  the  box  was  a  concealed  hinge  and  pin,  invented 
by  Charles  Stiven  about  1780. 

Kincardineshire  has  neither  coal  nor  iron  ore.  In 
the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century  large  quantities  of 
an  irregular  mineral  substance  called  "  native  iron  " 
were,  however,  found  in  Fettercairn.  Detached  pieces 
of  various  sizes  were  turned  up  by  the  plough,  which 
were  converted  into  use  by  heating  and  hammering  in 
the  local  smithies.  The  origin  of  this  metallic  substance, 
which  was  soon  exhausted,  was  never  properly  accounted 
for,  although  many  theories,  fantastical  and  otherwise, 
were  propounded. 

Granite  is  quarried  at  Cove  and  Hill  of  Fare.  For- 
merly this  industry  seems  to  have  been  of  more  im- 
portance in  certain  parts  of  the  country  than  it  is  now. 
At  the  beginning  of  last  century,  for  example,  about 
600  hands  were  employed  in  the  Nigg  quarries.  From 
these,  granite  blocks,  squared  and  dressed,  were  shipped 
at  Aberdeen  to  pave  the  London  streets.  Sandstone  is 
freely  distributed  over  the  county,  and  much  of  it  is 


FISHERIES  57 

utilised  for  road  metal.  The  quarries  of  Lauriston, 
St  Cyrus,  and  Threewells,  Bervie,  supply  excellent 
building-stone,  which  is  easily  wrought. 

Another  industry,  now  entirely  given  up,  was  lime- 
stone burning.  The  lime  from  the  kilns  of  Mathers, 
St  Cyrus,  was  in  great  demand  among  farmers.  Similar 
kilns  existed  in  Fordoun,  Fettercairn,  and  Banchory. 
Parts  of  old  kilns  still  remain  at  Clatterin  Brigs  and 
Mains  of  Drumtochty. 

13.  Fisheries 

Britain  being  an  island  surrounded  by  shallow  seas 
in  which  fish  are  plentiful,  it  is  only  natural  that  the 
fishing  industry  should  be  one  of  the  most  important 
sources  of  wealth  as  well  as  of  food.  Fishing  is  carried 
on  vigorously  on  both  the  west  and  the  east  coast  of 
Scotland,  but  the  east  coast  fishing  is  of  far  greater 
magnitude  and  importance  than  the  west  coast.  The 
North  Sea  is  not  only  an  excellent  fishing  ground,  but 
it  also  has  splendid  ports  where  the  catches  can  be  dis- 
posed of  to  advantage.  The  following  returns  of  the 
value  of  the  fish  caught  on  both  coasts  for  1912  bring 
out  their  relative  importance  : 

East  Coast — Total  value  of  all  fish  landed  £2,323,580 
Orkney  and  Shetland —  ,,  ,,  ,,  775,209 

West  Coast —  ,,         ,,         ,,  352,040 


Grand  Total          ....       £3,450,829 

The  value  of  shell-fish  caught  on  the  west  coast,  however, 
exceeds  considerably  that  on  the  east  coast. 


58 


The  whole  country  is  divided  into  districts  by  the 
Fishery  Board  for  Scotland  each  district  being  in 
charge  of  an  officer,  whose  duty  it  is  to  get  and  to  give 
information  on  all  matters  connected  with  the  industry. 
The  Kincardineshire  small  ports  or  "  creeks,"  as  they 


Herring-boats,  Gourdon 

are  called,  are  connected  with  the  three  districts  of 
Aberdeen,  Stonehaven,  and  Montrose.  Downies,  Port- 
lethen,  and  Cove  are  naturally  linked  on  to  Aberdeen  ; 
Milton,  Johnshaven,  and  Gourdon  to  Montrose.  Stone- 
haven  includes  Cowie  and  Skateraw  to  the  north,  and 
Catterline  and  Shieldhill  to  the  south. 

The  chief  kind  of  fish  landed  on  the  Kincardineshire 
coast  in  1912,  arranged  in  order  of  market  value,  were 


FISHERIES  59 

herrings,  codlings,  haddocks,  whitings,  crabs,  lobsters, 
which  with  less  important  varieties  reached  a  total 
value  of  £21,329,  almost  one-eighth  of  this  being  the 
value  of  the  shell-fish  caught.  The  weight  of  all  the 
fish  landed  (excluding  shell-fish)  was  a  little  over  2000 
tons.  Between  five  and  six  hundred  fishermen  are 
engaged  in  the  industry,  while  235  boats  or  vessels  of 
various  sizes  belong  to  Kincardineshire. 

Since  1902,  when  motor  power  was  first  introduced 
into  the  fishing  industry,  the  progress  and  increase  of 
motor  boats,  slow  at  first,  has  been  very  marked.  In 
this  innovation,  the  pioneers  in  the  county  were  the 
fishermen  of  Gourdon  and  Johnshaven. 

More  than  a  century  ago  salmon  fishing  gave  em- 
ployment to  135  hands,  and  the  rental  of  the  fishings 
amounted  to  £2700  a  year.  At  present  the  assessable 
rental  of  the  three  districts — Bervie,  North  Esk,  and 
Dee — is  £27,825,  about  one-sixth  of  the  rentals  of  the 
forty  Scottish  districts  having  boards  to  regulate  and 
protect  salmon  fishing.  The  number  of  salmon  caught 
annually  either  in  the  sea  by  a  "  fixed  engine  " — the 
stake  and  bag  nets — or  by  rod  in  the  waters  of  the 
rivers  of  the  county,  cannot  be  determined  ;  but  the 
weight  of  salmon  carried  by  the  railways  in  1912  was 
1990  tons,  almost  half  of  this  quantity  being  caught  in 
the  area  from  Berwick  to  Cairnbulg  Point  in  the  north- 
east of  Aberdeenshire.  Of  this  a  considerable  proportion 
must  have  been  contributed  by  the  Kincardineshire 
salmon  fishings. 


60  KINCARDINESHIRE 

14.  History  of  the  County 

The  history  of  the  county,  though  interesting,  has 
not  been  much  concerned  with  the  great  events  of 
national  history.  And  yet  the  existence  in  early  days 
of  a  royal  residence  at  Kincardine  indicates  a  certain 
importance.  Kincardine  was  probably  chosen  as  a 
residence  by  the  Pictish  kings,  because  it  commanded 
the  pass  of  the  Mounth  and  the  road  to  the  eastward. 
Its  castle  may  have  dated  from  the  reign  of  William 
the  Lyon.  In  mediaeval  times  it  was  one  of  the  chain 
of  strongholds  guarding  the  route  from  Forfarshire  over 
the  Mounth  to  the  north — Brechin,  Kincardine,  Loch 
Kinnord,  Kildrummy,  Strathbogie,  Rothes,  Elgin, 
Duffus,  Blervie,  Inverness,  Dunskaith.  As  a  royal 
residence,  it  grew  less  important  when  the  midland 
centres  increased  in  power  and  influence,  and  it  ceased 
to  be  the  capital  of  the  shire  in  1600,  when  Stonehaven 
became  the  chief  seat  of  local  administration. 

That  the  Roman  legions  under  Severus  (A.D.  208) 
passed  through  the  county  is  undoubted,  though  the 
events  connected  with  this  invasion  are  obscure  and 
disputed.  Goaded  into  revenge  by  the  insurrections  of 
the  wild  Caledonians,  he  set  out  himself  with  a  strong 
force,  and  at  once  began  the  formation  or  the  continua- 
tion of  the  road  through  the  north-eastern  lowlands. 
The  route  of  the  Roman  armies  through  Strathmore 
and  the  Mearns  is  clearly  mapped  out  in  the  sites  of  the 
camps  which  run  in  a  line  from  Tay  to  Dee.  These 
were  at  intervals  of  about  12  miles,  or  a  day's  march  ; 


HISTORY  OF  THE  COUNTY  61 

and  it  is  reasonable  to  assume  that  of  the  50,000  soldiers 
lost  by  the  Emperor  in  his  Caledonian  campaign,  a 
certain  proportion  must  have  fallen  in  the  conflict  with 
the  sturdy  "  Men  of  the  Mearns."  The  Roman  camps 
in  the  county  are  said  to  have  been  at  Fordoun,  and 
Raedykes,  near  Stonehaven,  while  Normandykes,  in 
Peterculter,  is  just  beyond  the  county  border,  'This 
view,  strongly  held  by  some  authorities,  is  strongly 
condemned  by  others.  The  battle  of  the  camps  will 
have  to  be  decided,  if  that  is  now  possible,  by 
excavations  on  the  sites.  It  is  noteworthy  that,  in  the 
Raedykes-Normandykes  area,  Roman  relics  have  been 
unearthed — coins,  swords,  pots. 

In  the  wild  days  when  Scotland  was  in  the  making, 
when  Picts  and  Scots,  Angles  of  Lothian  and  Britons 
of  Strathclyde,  struggled  for  mastery,  the  Mearns  on 
the  route  from  Fife  and  Perth  to  Aberdeen  and  Moray 
must  have  been  the  scene  of  many  a  bloody  conflict. 
After  the  union  of  Picts  and  Scots,  Kenneth  MacAlpin's 
immediate  successor^  found  the  Mearns  a  constant 
source  of  trouble :  it  was  there  that  three  kings  died 
a  violent  death.  In  954,  Malcolm  I.  was  defeated  and 
slain  at  Fetteresso,  though  some  say  he  was  killed  in 
Morayland.  Forty  years  later  Kenneth  III.  incurred 
the  enmity  of  Finella,  wife  of  the  Mormaer  of  the  Mearns, 
whose  son  had  died  in  battle  against  the  king.  By  her 
contrivance  Kenneth  was  killed,  but  how  is  not  certain. 
Hector  Boece's  account  is  grimly  picturesque.  Kenneth 
had  visited  Finella's  castle  at  Fettercairn  and  was  con- 
ducted into  a  tower,  "  quhilk,"  to  use  the  words  of 


62 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


Bellenden's  Scots  version  of  Boece,  "  was  theiket  with 
copper,  and  hewn  with  mani  subtle  mouldry  of  sundry 
flowers  and  imageries,  the  work  so  curious  that  it  ex- 
ceeded all  the  stuff  thereof."  There  stood  a  statue  of 


Sculptured  Stone,  Fordoun 

(Supposed  to  commemorate  Kenneth  III.'s  murder) 

the  king,  in  his  hand  a  gem-studded  apple  of  gold. 
The  apple  (so  Kenneth  was  told)  was  a  gift  for  himself. 
Would  he  deign  to  accept  it  from  the  hand  of  the  image  ? 
He  touched  the  apple,  and  at  once  a  shower  of  arrows 
pierced  his  body.  In  1094,  when  rivals  claimed  Malcolm 


HISTORY  OF  THE  COUNTY  63 

Canmore's  throne,  the  Mormaer  of  the  Mearns,  Malpeder 
MacLoen,  backed  Donald  Bane  against  Duncan  II. 
In  a  battle  at  Mondynes  in  Fordoun  parish,  Duncan 
died.  A  great  stone  on  a  knoll  in  a  field,  called  Duncan's 
Shade,  is  believed  to  commemorate  the  spot. 

In  common  with  the  other  parts  of  the  east  coast, 
Kincardineshire  suffered  from  the  inroads  of  the  Danes 
during  the  tenth  and  the  early  part  of  the  eleventh 
century.  At  the  battle  of  Barry,  their  leader,  it  is  said, 
was  killed  by  the  founder  qf  the  Keith  family,  and  was 
buried  at  Commieston  in  St  Cyrus. 

During  the  period  of  the  Wars  of  Independence 
Edward  I.  passed  through  the  Mearns  on  his  triumphal 
march  northwards  (1296).  From  Montrose  he  directed 
his  course  to  "  Kincardine  in  Mearns  Manor,"  then  to 
Glenbervie  Castle,  where  he  stayed  a  night,  next  over 
the  Cairn  O'  Mount  to  "  Durris  manor  among  the 
mountains."  According  to  Blind  Harry,  Wallace  over- 
ran the  Mearns  in  the  following  year,  and  penned 
4000  Englishmen  within  Dunnottar. 

"  Wallace  in  fyr  gert  set  all  haistely, 
Brynt  wp  the  kyrk,  and  all  that  was  tharin, 
Atour  the  roch  the  laiff  ran  with  gret  dyn. 
Sum  hang  on  craggis  rycht  dulfully  to  de, 
Sum  lap,  sum  fell,  sum  floteryt  in  the  se. 
Na  Sotheroun  on  lyff  was  lewyt  in  that  hauld, 
And  thaim  within  thai  brynt  in  powdir  cauld." 

In  1562  the  battle  of  Corrichie  was  fought  on  the 
south-east  slope  of  the  Hill  of  Fare.  Queen  Mary  was 
making  a  progress  through  the  northern  shires  when 
the  Earl  of  Huntly  turned  rebellious.  The  royal  forces, 


64  KINCARDINESHIRE 

under  the  Earl  of  Moray,  defeated  the  rebels  at  Corrichie. 
From  a  spot  still  named  the  Queen's  Chair,  tradition 
says  Mary  viewed  the  fight. 

In  1639  the  Marquis  of  Montrose  and  his  men  passed 
through  the  county  on  their  way  to  Aberdeen  to  compel 


Old  Bridge  of  Dee 

the  people  of  Aberdeen  to  sign  the  Covenant.  The 
Earl  Marischal  and  other  "  Men  of  the  Mearns  "  joined 
him.  During  the  operations  round  Aberdeen  occurred 
the  "  Raid  of  Stanehyve."  Viscount  Aboyne  crossed 
the  Dee  with  2500  men,  plundered  Muchalls  and  had 
reached  Megray  Hill,  close  to  Stonehaven,  when  their 
opponents  met  them,  well  supplied  with  cannon  from 
Dunnottar.  Highlanders  feared  "  the  musket's  mother," 


HISTORY  OF  THE  COUNTY  65 

as  they  designated  the  cannon  ;  and  those  in  Aboyne's 
army  fled  when  the  cannonade  began.  Aboyne  retired 
on  Aberdeen,  blocking  the  only  approach  to  the  city — 
the  narrow  Bridge  of  Dee — with  turf  and  stones.  The 
defences  were  forced  and  Montrose  captured  Aberdeen. 
In  1644,  after  he  had  turned  Royalist,  he  was  again  in 
the  Mearns,  marching  from  his  victory  at  Tippermuir. 
Crossing  the  Dee  at  Mills  of  Drum,  he  took  Aberdeen. 
A  year  later  he  returned  and  burned  the  House  of 
Durris.  At  Stonehaven  he  did  fearful  havoc  both  by 
fire  and  sword,  devastating  houses,  farms,  and  woods 
so  that  "  the  hart,  the  hind,  the  deer,  and  the  roe  skirlt 
at  the  sicht  of  the  fire,"  whatever  may  have  been 
the  feelings  of  the  sorely  stricken  inhabitants.  Finding 
that  the  Earl  and  others  had  secured  themselves  in 
Dunnottar  Castle,  he  pillaged  and  burned  the  village 
of  Cowie,  with  the  boats  and  stores,  and  all  the  lands 
of  Dunnottar,  Fetteresso,  Glenbervie,  and  Arbuthnott. 
Marching  along,  he  routed  a  party  of  the  Covenanters 
at  Haulkerton  near  Laurencekirk,  and  made  the  Howe 
"  black  with  fire  and  red  with  blood."  His  last  progress 
through  the  Mearns  was  in  1650,  when  as  a  prisoner, 
bound  hand  and  foot,  he  was  led  to  his  execution  in 
Edinburgh. 

After  Charles  ll.'s  coronation  at  Scone,  January  i, 
1651,  the  "  honours "  of  Scotland — the  crown,  the 
sword,  the  sceptre — had  been  deposited  in  Dunnottar. 
Dunnottar  was  the  last  stronghold  to  yield  to  Cromwell's 
troops.  It  was  invested  in  the  late  autumn  of  1651. 
The  English  general  knew  that  the  Regalia  had  been 


66  KINCARDINESHIRE 

taken  into  the  castle,  while  George  Ogilvie  of  Barras, 
the  governor,  doubted  if  he  could  hold  out  with  his 
meagre  garrison,  especially  as  food  was  scanty  and 
mutiny  was  appearing  among  the  men.  At  this  crisis 
Mrs  Granger,  wife  of  the  minister  of  Kinneff,  obtained 


Regalia 

(Now  in  Crown  Room,  Edinburgh  Castle) 

permission  to  visit  Mrs  Ogilvy.  A  scheme  was  devised 
to  save  the  Regalia.  When  Mrs  Granger  left,  she  had 
the  crown  concealed  in  her  lap ;  and  her  serving- woman 
carried  the  sceptre  and  the  sword  in  bundles  of  flax. 
A  touch  of  irony  is  added  to  the  incident  in  the  tradition 
that  the  English  general  himself  gallantly  assisted 
Mrs  Granger  to  her  horse.  In  a  short  time  the  Regalia 
lay,  carefully  wrapped  up,  under  the  floor  of  Kinneff 
church.  There  they  remained  till  after  the  Restoration. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  COUNTY 


67 


In  1685,  during  the  scare  of  Argyll's  invasion,  over 
a  hundred  Covenanters  from  the  south-west  of  Scotland 


Concealing  the  Regalia  in  Kinneff  Church 

were  imprisoned  in  Dunnottar.  Men  and  women  were 
shut  up  in  a  vault  too  small  for  them  either  to  lie  or  sit. 
It  had  but  one  window,  and  the  floor  was  ankle-deep  in 


68 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


mud.     After  some  time,  the  men  and  the  women  were 
separated,  and  several  vaults  were  used  instead  of  one. 


Imprisoned  Clergyman  baptising  Children,  Stonehaven 

From  the  window  of  the  large  vault  twenty-live  tried 
to  escape  down  the  steep  cliff.  Two  were  killed ;  a 
few  eluded  capture  ;  those  who  were  unsuccessful  were 


ANTIQUITIES  69 

bound  and  laid  on  their  backs  for  several  hours  with 
burning  matches  between  their  fingers.  After  two 
months  the  survivors  were  conveyed  to  Leith,  where  they 
could  choose  either  to  take  the  Test  Act  or  be  banished 
to  the  Plantations.  Most  elected  to  go  into  exile. 

Like  the  north-east  of  Scotland  generally,  the  north 
of  Kincardineshire  was  strongly  Jacobite,  due  to  the 
influence  of  the  Earl  Marischal.  In  1715,  when,  the 
Chevalier  de  St  George — the  Old  Pretender — was  passing 
south  from  Peterhead  to  join  his  followers,  he  visited 
Fetteresso,  where  he  was  proclaimed  king.  In  1746, 
when  the  Duke  of  Cumberland  was  marching  to 
Aberdeen,  ultimately  to  meet  the  Young  Pretender  at 
Culloden,  he  burned  the  Episcopal  chapels  at  Stone- 
haven,  Drumlithie,  and  Muchalls.  The  Episcopal  clergy, 
as  favouring  the  Stewarts,  were  frequently  "  rabbled  " 
at  this  time,  and  some  of  them  imprisoned. 

15.  Antiquities 

The  prehistoric  period  of  man's  existence  is  divided 
by  archaeologists  into  the  Stone  Age,  the  Bronze  Age, 
and  the  Iron  Age,  according  to  the  materials  of  which 
implements  of  industry  or  weapons  of  war  were 
constructed.  It  must  not,  however,  be  supposed  that 
bronze  implements,  when  first  fashioned,  immediately 
displaced  stone  implements,  or  that  weapons  of  iron 
at  once  superseded  those  in  previous  use.  The  different 
periods  overlapped,  and  the  introduction  of  the  newer 
and  better  implements  was  gradual. 


70  KINCARDINESHIRE 

Of  the  Old  Stone  Age  no  examples  have  as  yet  been 
unearthed  in  Scotland ;  but  of  the  Neolithic  or  New 
Stone  Age  examples  are  everywhere  abundant.  Axes, 
arrow-heads,  celts,  knives  of  flint,  whorls,  beads,  and 
buttons  of  jet  are  among  the  ancient  treasures  found 


Bronze  Vessels  from  Banchory  Loch 

in  the  county,  almost  every  parish  having  contributed 
its  quota. 

Specimens  of  the  Bronze  Age,  which,  began  probably 
about  1 200  or  1400  years  B.C.  and  lasted  for  eight  or 
ten  centuries,  have  also  been  found,  and  include  spears, 
hatchets,  and  other  implements.  A  fine  example  of  a 
bronze  dagger  was  unearthed  in  1840  near  the  site  of 
the  Roman  Camp  at  Fordoun,  while  similar  ones  have 
come  from  Arbuthnott  and  Kinneff. 

Kincardineshire,  especially  in  the  north,  has  numerous 
stone  circles.  Generally  the  circles  consist  of  huge 


ANTIQUITIES 


71 


blocks  of  stone,  irregular  and  of  unequal  size,  some 
standing  erect,  others  fallen  down,  arranged  in  a  circle, 
which  encloses  one  or  even  more  concentric  circles. 
Sometimes  there  is  in  the  circle  itself,  or  in  the  cir- 


Auchquhorthies.    View  from  the  South 

cumference,  a  large  stone,  known  from  the  way  it  lies 
as  the  recumbent  stone.  It  is  usually  on  the  south 
side  of  the  circle,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  an  altar 
stone.  The  circumference  of  the  circles  varies  a  good 
deal.  The  diameter  of  those  in  Banchory-Devenick  is 


Auchquhorthies.     Recumbent  Stone 

from  30  to  100  ft.,  the  largest  being  the  well-known 
circle  at  Auchquhorthies.  This  one  presents  some 
features  of  interest.  The  recumbent  stone,  9  ft.  9  ins. 
long,  5  ft.  high,  and  about  i  foot  wide  across 
the  top,  weighs  about  loj  tons.  It  lies  a  considerable 
distance  from  the  standing  stones.  The  stones  in  the 


72 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


northern  arc  are  small  in  comparison  with  the  others. 
The  circles  are  all  composed  of  the  blue  granite  common 
to  the  district,  and  nearly  all  have  their  recumbent 
stone  on  the  south  or  south- 
west, while  in  more  than  half 
the  circles  relics  have  been  found. 
What  these  circles  were  used  for 
is  still  a  matter  of  doubt.  But 
since  urns  and  calcined  bones 
have  usually  been  discovered  in 
them,  it  is  likely  that  they 
were  burial  places  of  the  Bronze 
Age. 

Other  places  of  sepulture  are 
the  mounds  or  cairns  under  which 
have  been  found  stone  cists  or 
coffins  containing  skeleton  re- 
mains, along  with  urns,  cups, 
beads,  rings,  arrow-heads,  and 
other  relics.  In  Banchory,  Stra- 
chan,  Marykirk,  Kinneff,  and 
elsewhere,  these  have  been  dis- 
covered, bearing  mute  but  ex- 
pressive testimony  to  the  ideas 
which  prehistoric  man  had  of  religion  and  of  a  future 
state. 

At  Greencairn  Castle  near  Fettercairn  are  still  to  be 
seen  traces  of  what  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  vitrified 
fort.  It  was  oval  in  form,  and,  like  other  strongholds 
of  the  same  character,  was  surrounded  by  two  ramparts, 


Ogham  Stone, 
Auquhollie 


ANTIQUITIES  73 

built  of  stone,  without  any  lime  or  mortar,  and  without 
the  least  mask  of  any  tool,  although  under  the  founda- 
tion wood  ashes  were  got.  Evidence  of  vitrification  of 
the  walls  was  obtained  by  Sir  Walter  Scott  in  1796. 

Of  sculptured  stones  in  the  county  the  most  inter- 
esting and  most  ancient  is  the  Ogham  stone  at  Auqu- 


Surface  of  Crannog,  Loch  of  Banchory 

hollie,  near  Stonehaven, '  one  of  the  fourteen  to  be  found 
in  Scotland.  The  writing  is  in  some  parts  much  worn 
and  doubtful,  but  it  has  been  deciphered  and  translated 
as  follows  : 

"  F[a]  dh  Donan  ui  te  [?  n] 
[Here]  rests  [the  body]  of  Donan,  of  the  race  of  .  .  ." 

There  are  three  Scottish  saints  of  that  name,  one  being 
connected  with  Aberdeenshire. 


74  KINCARDINESHIRE 

When,  about  sixty  years  ago,  the  Loch  of  Banchory, 
or  Leys,  in  Banchory-Ternan,  was  drained,  an  island 
was  found  to  be  artificial — a  specimen  of  the  old  Celtic 
lake  dwelling  or  crannog.  It  rested  on  trunks  of  oak 
and  birch  trees  laid  alternately,  the  spaces  being  filled 
up  with  earth  and  stones,  and  the  island  was  surrounded 
with  oak  piles  to  prevent  it  from  being  washed  away. 

There  are  three  interesting  examples  of  old  crosses 
in  the  county.  That  at  Fettercairn,  the  old  market 
cross  of  Kincardine,  surmounts  an  octagonal  flight  of 
steps,  and  has  an  iron  rivet  to  which  criminals  in  olden 
days  used  to  be  chained  by  the  jougs.  The  base  and 
shaft  of  the  old  cross  of  Stonehaven  stands  beside  the 
steeple  (itself  a  picturesque  Dutch-like  erection  dating 
from  1797).  In  the  square  of  Bervie  is  a  cross,  about 
14  ft.  high,  surrounded  by  a  flight  of  steps,  and  sup- 
posed to  be  of  considerable  antiquity.  The  county  has 
numerous  holy  wells,  none  of  them  of  great  importance. 
Two  interesting  cup-marked  stones  are  preserved — one 
at  Cowie  House,  and  the  other  at  Dunnottar  Manse. 

16.  Architecture — (a)  Ecclesiastical 

Though  Scotland  cannot  claim  to  have  originated  a 
new  and  distinctive  style  of  architecture,  yet  it  can  show 
a  continuous  series  of  ecclesiastical  buildings,  beginning 
with  the  simplest  and  rudest  of  monkish  cells,  extending 
through  all  the  periods  of  mediaeval  art.  Of  church 
architecture,  however,  as  we  now  understand  it,  there 
was  none  during  the  first  seven  centuries.  It  really 


76  KINCARDINESHIRE 

began  about  the  tenth  century,  when  the  round  towers 
first  appeared. 

Of  ecclesiastical  buildings  now  in  ruins  Kincardine- 
shire  has  some  very  interesting  examples.  Cowie 
Church,  or  more  correctly  the  Chapel  of  St  Mary, 
picturesquely  situated  a  little  north  of  Stonehaven 


Arbuthnott  Church 

Bay,  is  an  example  of  a  simple  oblong  structure  in  the 
first  pointed  style.  There  are  three  fine  lancet-pointed 
windows  of  the  thirteenth  century  in  the  east  gable, 
with  a  square  window  in  the  west.  The  chapel  was 
consecrated  in  1276,  and  was  unroofed  by  ecclesiastical 
authority  shortly  before  the  Reformation  on  account 
of  scandals. 

At  the  Kirktown    of    Fetteresso    the   roofless   ruins 
of  the  old  church  of   Fetteresso  stand  upon  a  knoll 


K  w  rr^ «  a  3  ™    &.  *     *"   *"•  »  »    P*    ?*  3  ^»  ^r  .2 

iVi'HriMHfil 


78 

which  is  one  of  the  oldest  ecclesiastical  sites  in  the 
Mearns.  The  ancient  church  was  dedicated  to  a 
Celtic  saint  of  the  sixth  century  named  Caran.  The 
pointed  doorway  on  the  north  side  and  parts  of  the 
adjacent  walls  belonged  to  the  church  which  was  con- 
secrated by  David  de  Bernham,  Bishop  of  St  Andrews, 
in  1246.  Its  belfry  is  a  good  example  of  the  belfries 
to  be  seen  in  the  north-east  of  Scotland. 

The  ruined  church  of  St  Fittick,  about  a  mile  south- 
east of  Aberdeen,  stands  on  the  site  of  an  early  church 
which  was  granted  by  William  the  Lyon  to  his  favourite 
Abbey  of  Arbroath,  and  remained  attached  to  it  till  the 
Reformation. 

The  parish  church  of  Arbuthnott,  dedicated  to 
St  Ternan,  is  undoubtedly  the  most  interesting  piece 
of  ecclesiastical  architecture  in  Kincardineshire.  One 
of  the  few  existing  pre-Reformation  churches  in  the 
north  of  Scotland,  it  was  consecrated  in  1242  by  David 
de  Bernham,  Bishop  of  St  Andrews.  It  is  long  and 
narrow,  consisting  of  an  aisleless  nave  and  chancel,  and 
what  is  known  as  the  Arbuthnott  aisle,  which  projects 
from  the  south  side  of  the  chancel.  The  Arbuthnott 
aisle — the  most  striking  feature  of  the  exterior — was 
built  in  1505,  the  west  gable  of  the  nave  with  the  circular 
bell-turret  being  added  at  the  same  time.  The  aisle 
is  in  two  stories,  the  lower  a  vaulted  chapel  with  an 
apsidal  termination  to  the  south.  Within  the  apse  lies 
a  monumental  effigy,  probably  that  of  James  Arbuthnott, 
who  died  in  1521.  On  the  side  of  the  base  are  four 
shields,  bearing  the  names  of  Stuart,  Arbuthnott,  and 


rt 
2 


O 

0 


80  KINCARDINESHIRE 

Douglas.  The  chancel  is  sharply  pointed.  Three  fine 
stained-glass  windows  adorn  the  east  gable  of  the 
chancel.  The  church  was  skilfully  restored  in  1890,  after 
being  accidently  burned  the  previous  year.  About  1475 
the  vicar  of  the  parish,  James  Sibbald,  produced  three 
service-books,  to  which  the  name  of  Arbuthnott  is 
attached — a  Missal,  a  Book  of  Hours,  and  a  Psalter. 

Another  interesting  church,  which  originally  dates 
from  the  thirteenth  century,  is  that  of  Kinneff.  The 
present  church,  which  has  suffered  from  various  restora- 
tions, has  in  the  east  gable  a  small  Norman  window,  and 
five  Gothic  windows  in  the  south  wall.  The  historical 
interest  of  the  church  is  even  greater  than  its  architec- 
tural interest.  For  it  contains  several  mural  monu- 
ments, one  to  Rev.  James  Granger  and  his  wife  Christian 
Fletcher,  who  preserved  the  "  honours  "  of  Scotland. 

The  parish  church  of  Fordoun,  a  prominent  object 
in  the  landscape,  with  its  handsome  square  Gothic  tower, 
nearly  100  ft.  high,  was  erected  in  1830,  and  is  the 
successor  of  a  very  old  church,  which  was  demolished 
in  1787.  Beside  it  is  the  small  chapel  of  St  Palladius, 
a  modern  restoration ;  but  the  traditions  regarding 
this  saint  and  his  connection  with  the  place  as  exempli- 
fied in  chapel,  well,  and  annual  fair  which  bear  his  name, 
go  back  to  the  fifth  century.  Within  the  chapel  is  a 
sculptured  stone  which,  according  to  Professor  Stuart, 
is  intended  to  commemorate  the  death  of  Kenneth  III. 

At  Blairs,  in  Maryculter  parish,  the  Roman  Catholic 
College  of  St  Mary  stands  conspicuous  on  a  slope  over- 
looking the  valley  of  the  Dee.  The  estate  of  Blairs  was 


Blairs  Portrait  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots 


82  KINCARDINESHIRE 

once  the  property  of  the  Knights  Templars.  The 
college  possesses  a  famous  portrait  of  Mary  Queen  of 
Scots — an  excellent  likeness.  It  may  have  been  painted 
from  a  miniature  given  by  Mary  on  the  morning  of  her 
execution,  to  Elizabeth  Curie,  one  of  her  attendants, 
who  bequeathed  miniature  and  portrait  to  the  Scots 
College  at  Douai.  In  the  days  of  the  French  Revolution 
the  portrait  lay  hid  in  a  chimney  to  save  it  from  the  fury 
of  the  mob.  In  the  background  of  the  picture,  left, 
there  is  a  sketch  of  the  execution  ;  and,  right,  Elizabeth 
Curie  appears. 

17.  Architecture — (b)  Castellated 

The  architecture  of  a  country  is  a  genuine  record 
of  its  development  and  progress  in  civilisation.  In  the 
rude  Scotland  of  early  times  comfort  and  convenience 
were  sacrificed  for  strength  and  protection  from  enemies  : 
hence  the  walls  of  enormous  thickness,  the  strong  gates, 
the  moat,  and  the  ramparts  of  earth  and  stone  char- 
acterising the  earliest  buildings  that  survive.  Previous 
to  the  Norman  Conquest,  the  building  of  castles  with 
stone  and  lime  was  not  practised,  the  earliest  fortifica- 
tions being  constructed  with  earth  mounds  and  wooden 
palisades  on  a  turf  wall.  The  position  of  many  of  the 
old  castles  shows  that  up  to  the  thirteenth  century,  if 
not  later,  the  builders  of  the  castles  trusted  more  to 
water  than  to  hill  for  their  defence.  -The  steep  cliff, 
facing  and  perhaps  projecting  into  the  sea,  almost 
surrounded  by  the  breaking  waves,  and  connected  only 


ARCHITECTURE— CASTELLATED   83 

by  a  narrow  pathway  to  the  mainland,  was  a  typical 
and  well -chosen  spot  on  which  to  erect  a  safe  resort  in 
time  of  danger.  The  Kaim  of  Mathers  near  St  Cyrus, 
now  a  roofless  relic  of  the  stronghold  of  the  Barclays, 
consisted  of  a  tower  40  ft.  square  and  four  stories  high, 
perched  on  the  top  of  a  precipitous  rock  jutting  out 
into  the  sea.  It  was  built,  after  the  murder  of  Melville 
the  Sheriff  (1420),  by  the  laird  of  Mathers,  who  preferred 
to  stay  at  home,  and 

"  Buyld  a  lordlie  Kaim, 
All  on  the  stonie  rock, 
Which  mote  dene  the  sovereign's  arms 
Or  eke  the  tempest's  shock." 

The  general  appearance  of  the  thirteenth-century 
castles  was  that  of  a  huge  fortified  enclosure.  The  plan 
is  usually  quadrilateral,  but  more  or  less  irregular  to 
suit  the  site.  *  Cosmo  Innes  says  that  Kincardine  Castle, 
near  Fettercairn,  was  built  in  the  thirteenth  century, 
though  it  doubtless  occupied  the  site  of  several  previous 
royal  palaces  of  wood  and  wattle,  where  Pictish  and 
Scottish  kings  held  state.  The  castle  was  fully  130  ft. 
square,  and  had  walls  of  enormous  thickness,  which  were 
surrounded  by  marshes  across  which  no  enemy  could 
safely  venture. 

During  the  fourteenth  century,  after  the  Wars  of 
Independence,  there  was  very  little  castle-building  in 
Scotland.  Even  had  the  resources  of  the  country  been 
greater  than  they  were,  the  nobles  were  not  encouraged 
by  King  Robert  Bruce  to  build  strong  mansions,  as 
those  were  liable  to  be  captured  by  the  English,  and 


84  KINCARDINESHIRE 

the  King's  policy  was  rather  to  starve  the  enemy  out 
of  the  country  than  to  fight  him.  The  model  of  the 
castle  still  remained  the  square  tower  or  Norman  keep 
with  very  thick  walls,  defended  from  a  parapeted  path 
round  the  top  of  the  tower.  Gradually  the  simple 
keep  was  extended  by  adding  on  a  small  wing  at  one 
corner,  making  the  ground  plan  of  the  whole  building 
take  the  form  of  the  letter  L.  The  entrance  was  then 
placed  as  a  rule  at  the  re-entering  angle.  The  ground 
floor  was  vaulted  and  used  for  a  store-room.  Access 
from  one  story  to  another  was  by  a  narrow  corkscrew 
stair  at  one  corner  in  the  thick  wall.  With  the  outside 
entrance  raised  above  the  ground  level  and  reached  only 
by  a  removable  ladder,  such  towers  could  resist  siege 
and  fire,  and  even  when  taken,  could  not  be  easily 
damaged. 

The  tower  of  Benholm,  now  a  part  of  Benholm  Castle, 
is  a  fine  example  of  the  fifteenth-century  keep.  It  is 
crowned  with  a  parapet  and  angle  bartisans,  and  has 
on  its  top  a  square  cape  house  or  watch  turret.  This  is 
a  primitive  indication  of  the  various  additions  which 
were  sometimes  made  on  the  parapets  by  raising  them 
and  covering  them  in  with  roofs,  a  feature  that  may 
be  seen  in  several  of  the  later  mansions  of  the  Mearns. 
Fiddes  Castle,  formerly  a  dower-house  of  the  Arbuthnott 
family,  is  a  very  fine  example  of  the  sixteenth-century 
castle.  The  general  arrangement  is  that  of  the  L  plan, 
but  the  staircase  is  projected  in  a  large  circular  tower 
beyond  the  corner  of  the  main  building.  Another 
circular  tower  occupies  the  corresponding  angle  on  the 


ARCHITECTURE— CASTELLATED   85 

opposite  side  of  the  main  building,  and  a  third  is  cor- 
belled out  from  the  first  floor  on  the  north  side. 

In  the  latter  half  of  the  sixteenth  century  various 
influences  contributed  to  a  decided  change  in  castellated 
architecture.  With  the  introduction  of  artillery  the 
whole  idea  of  defence  became  altered.  Safety  from 
sudden  attack  was  of  more  consequence  than  the  idea 
of  making  the  castles  impregnable  :  shelter  from  the 
elements  was  of  as  great  importance  as  shelter  from 
the  enemy.  More  attention  was  paid  to  ornamental 
detail,  and  internal  comfort  and  convenience.  The 
grim  fortress  was  gradually  transformed  into  the  county 
mansion,  although  the  keep  or  quadrangular  plan  was 
still  adhered  to.  The  change  was  of  course  gradual. 
The  castles  were  built  round  a  courtyard,  but  turrets 
were  placed  at  every  angle  of  the  building.  The  lower 
walls  were  severely  plain.  The  roofs  became  high- 
pitched  with  picturesque  chimneys,  dormer  windows, 
and  crowr-stepped  gables.  The  nobles,  enriched  by  the 
revenues  of  the  church  lands  secularised  after  the 
Reformation,  were  enabled  either  to  build,  new  castles 
or  extend  the  old.  The  effect  of  the  Union  in  1603, 
after  which  many  of  the  nobility  followed  the  court  to 
London,  was  also  seen  in  the  higher  standard  of  domestic 
comfort  and  house  accommodation  which  imitated 
that  south  of  the  Border.  These  features  are  manifest 
in  Crathes  Castle,  which  externally  presents  a  wonderful 
cluster  of  pinnacles  and  turrets  at  the  roof  above  a  plain 
building  with  rounded  corners  below.  The  corbelling 
and  carving  are  of  a  very  elaborate  and  ornate  character. 


86  KINCARDINESHIRE 

Gargoyles  at  impossible  places,  applied  as  mere  orna- 
ments, also  occur  in  profusion.  In  the  east  wall  over 
the  doorway,  which  still  presents  its  original  iron  "  yett," 
are  two  shields  containing  the  Burnett  arms  with  the 


Crathes  Castle 

dates  of  the  erection  and  completion  of  the  castle, 
1553  and  1596.  Balbegno  Castle  is  another  interesting 
example  of  a  castle  on  the  L  plan,  into  which  various 
modifications  have  been  introduced.  As  at  Crathes,  the 
whole  of  the  re-entering  angle  is  filled  up,  instead  of 
a  turret  being  inserted  in  the  angle.  This  is  to  give 
provision  for  a  wide  staircase  to  the  first  floor.  It  is 
one  of  the  few  castles  in  Scotland  which  have  a  ribbed 


Part  of  Vaulted  Roof,  Balbegno  Castle 


88  KINCARDINESHIRE 

and  groined  vault  over  the  hall.  The  compartments 
of  the  vaulting  are  painted  with  the  armorial  bearings 
of  some  of  the  principal  families  in  Scotland. 

Muchalls  Castle  is  a  well-preserved  specimen  of  the 
Scottish  mansion  of  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  It  is  designed  on  a  plan  of  buildings  sur- 
rounding a  courtyard,  the  north,  the  east,  and  part  of 
the  west  side  of  the  square  being  occupied  with  the 
house,  and  the  remaining  side  enclosed  with  a  wall. 
The  details  of  the  internal  decorations  are  in  the 
Renaissance  style,  which  began  to  assert  itself  in  Scot- 
land early  in  the  seventeenth  century.  The  ceiling  of 
the  dining-room  is  the  great  feature  of  the  house.  It 
is  ornamented  with  ribbed  plaster  work,  the  panels 
being  filled  in  with  the  heads  of  Roman  emperors, 
classical  heroes,  and  Scripture  characters. 

Apart  from  its  romantic  and  historical  associations, 
Dunnottar  Castle  is  of  great  architectural  interest,  for 
it  exhibits  the  various  changes  which  took  place  in  the 
disposition  of  buildings  and  defences,  as  well  as  in  the 
domestic  arrangements,  from  the  fifteenth  to  the  seven- 
teenth century.  Dunnottar  signifies  a  strong  promon- 
tory, and  the  situation  justifies  the  name.  The  castle 
stands  on  the  platform  of  an  isolated  rock  washed  on 
three  sides  by  the  sea.  The  perpendicular  cliffs  rise  to 
a  height  of  160  ft.  except  at  the  narrow  strip  of  land 
on  the  level  'of  the  seashore,  by  which  it  is  joined  to  the 
mainland.  The  area  of  the  site  is  about  3^  acres.  A 
very  short  steep  path  leads  to  the  gateway,  on  the  right 
of  which  is  "  Benholm's  Lodgings,"  a  five-storied 


ARCHITECTURE— CASTELLATED   89 

building,  furnished  with  three  tiers  of  loopholes.  A 
strong  portcullis  had  closed  down  the  gateway,  within 
which,  to  left  and  right  respectively,  are  the  guard-room 
and  the  prison,  the  whole  of  the  open  approach  being 
effectively  commanded  from  the  buildings  above  and 


Dunnottar  from  the  South 

from  the  parapets.  The  oldest  building  is  undoubtedly 
the  keep  or  tower  at  the  south-west  corner  of  the  plat- 
form, which  dates  from  the  early  part  of  the  fifteenth 
centuiy.  The  plan  presents  the  usual  arrangement  of 
the  period,  the  L  shape,  four  stories  in  height,  and  with 
walls  5  ft.  thick.  Further  to  the  east  is  an  extensive 
range  containing  stables  and  the  Priest's  House.  This 
part  belongs  to  the  latter  half  of  the  sixteenth  centuiy. 
The  church  is  next  in  order.  The  original  church,  con- 


90 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


secrated  in  1246,  stood  on  this  site.     To  it  the  lower 
part   of  the  south  wall  belongs,   but  the  rest   of  the 


Entrance  to  Dunnottar  Castle 

(Benholm's  Lodgings  on  right) 

building  was  reconstructed  early  in  the  sixteenth 
century.  Part  of  the  church  must,  therefore,  be  the 
oldest-built  work  in  the  castle.  The  walls,  were  at  one 
time  ornamented  with  monuments  to  "the  Keiths,  but 


ARCHITECTURE— DOMESTIC  91 

they  have  all  disappeared.  The  latest  addition  to  the 
castle  is  the  projecting  wing  at  the  north-east  corner  of 
the  quadrangle.  Its  ground  floor  contains  a  vaulted 
apartment  58  ft.  long  and  15  ft.  wide.  Originally  intended 
as  a  store-room,  it  gained  an  unenviable  notoriety  as  the 
prison  of  the  Covenanters,  or  Whigs'  Vault.  There  are 
curious  niches  in  the  walls,  apparently  intended  for  the 
insertion  of  prisoners'  hands  when  torture  was  applied 
for  misdemeanours.  Below  the  Whigs'  Vault  is  a 
smaller  one,  where,  it  is  said,  no  fewrer  than  forty-two  of 
the  Covenanters  were  confined  for  a  time.  From  the 
Whigs'  Vault,  by  the  great  staircase,  we  reach  the 
dining-room,  the  windows  of  which  give  a  wide  prospect 
of  sea  and  wild  cliffs. 


18.  Architecture— (c)  Domestic 

The  mansions  of  the  Mearns  are  not  only  numerous, 
but  in  many  respects  remarkably  elegant  structures. 
Several  are  of  ancient  foundation,  and  have  been  re- 
modelled or  enlarged  as  the  demands  for  convenience 
and  domestic  comfort  grew  with  the  improving  spirit 
of  the  times.  Many  of  the  sites  are  well-chosen  either 
for  beauty  or,  as  in  the  case  of  older  castles,  for  defence 
or  observation.  Of  the  castles  on  or  near  the  coast  the 
most  interesting  historically  is  Fetteresso  Castle,  for- 
merly the  home  of  the  Earls  Marischal.  It  was  burned 
by  the  Marquis  of  Montrose  in  1645,  and  rebuilt  in  1671  ; 
but  a  large  part  of  it  is  only  about  one  hundred  years  old. 
After  landing  at  Peterhead,  in  1715,  the  Chevalier  went 


a 

u 
e 

to 


ARCHITECTURE— DOMESTIC 


93 


to  Fetteresso,  where  he  was  warmly  received  and 
hospitably  entertained  for  more  than  a  week.  At  the 
door  of  the  castle  he  was  proclaimed  James  VIII.  by 
the  Earl  Marischal.  The  castle  stands  in  the  Carron 
valley  near  Stonehaven.  In  the  same  locality  is  Urie 


IB 


Old  House  of  Urie 

(Friends'  meeting-place  on  right) 

House,  a  fine  mansion  in  the  Elizabethan  style,  amid 
some  700  acres  of  well-wooded  grounds  along  the  Cowie 
Water.  Urie  belonged  to  the  Marischal  family,  and 
then  to  the  Barclays,  of  Quaker,  farming,  and  pedestrian 
fame. 

Further  south  on  the  coast  there  is  a  succession  of 
mansions.  Hallgreen  Castle,  overlooking  Bervie  Bay, 
dates  from  the  sixteenth  century,  but  has  modern 


94  KINCARDINESHIRE 

additions.  Brotherton  Castle,  a  little  to  the  north  of 
Johnshaven,  is  a  fine  building  in  the  baronial  style. 
Lauriston  Castle,  occupying  a  picturesque  situation  in 
the  "  Den  "  of  the  same  name,  was  built  by  the  Straitons 
in  the  thirteenth  century.  Alexander  Straiten,  "  the 
knicht  of  Lauriston,"  was  one  of  the  500  knights  slain 
at  Harlaw  in  1411.  Ecclesgreig  Castle,  on  a  rising 
ground  to  the  north  of  St  Cyrus  village,  is  modern. 
Its  steep-pitched  roof  and  crow-stepped  gables,  sur- 
mounted by  conical  turrets,  give  it  a  graceful  and 
imposing  appearance.  The  surrounding  policies  are 
tastefully  laid  out. 

The  Burn  House,  built  in  1791  by  Lord  Adam  Gordon, 
is  romantically  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the  North 
Esk.  The  house,  itself  a  massive  but  somewhat  plain 
structure,  is  surrounded  by  "  woods,  walks,  and  scenes 
of  beauty,"  as  picturesque  as  any  in  the  county,  forming 
a  striking  contrast  to  the  "  dreary  desert  "  the  spot 
was  said  to  be  towards  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
Fasque  House,  a  splendid  pile  built  in  1809  in  the  English 
baronial  style,  is  a  very  commodious  mansion,  and  from 
its  elevated  situation  commands  an  extensive  and  mag- 
nificent view  of  the  Howe.  It  is  the  residence  of  Sir 
John  Gladstone,  the  nephew  of  the  late  Right  Hon. 
W.  E.  Gladstone,  who  as  a  young  man,  frequently  re- 
sided here.  Drumtochty  Castle,  a  fine  Gothic  building, 
occupies  an  ideal  site  on  the  richly  wooded  bank  of  the 
Luther,  opposite  Strathfinella  Hill.  Monboddo  House 
is  more  interesting  historically  than  architecturally,  as 
the  birthplace  and  residence  of  Lord  Monboddo. 


COMMUNICATIONS— ROADS,  ETC.       95 

Dr  Johnson  thus  refers  to  the  visit  which  he  paid  to 
Monboddo  in  1773  :  "  Early  in  the  afternoon  Mr  Bosvvell 
observed  that  we  were  no  great  distance  from  the  house 
of  Lord  Monboddo.  The  magnetism  of  his  conversation 
easily  drew  us  out  of  our  way,  and  the  entertain- 
ment which  we  received  would  have  been  a  sufficient 
recompense  for  a  greater  deviation."  Glenbervie 
House,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Bervie  Water,  was  an 
ancient  seat  of  the  Douglases,  and  the  oldest  part  dates 
back  to  the  twelfth  century  at  least.  Other  mansions 
in  the  Howe  district  are  Inglismaldie  House  in  Marykirk, 
one  of  the  seats  of  the  Earl  of  Kintore  ;  Fettercairn 
House,  dating  from  1666,  but  at  various  times  consider- 
ably improved  and  enlarged  ;  Thornton  Castle,  also  a 
very  old  building,  about  two  miles  west  of  Laurencekirk  ; 
Arbuthnott  House,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Bervie  Water, 
the  seat  of  the  old  family  of  Arbuthnott. 

Of  the  larger  mansions  on  Deeside,  Kincausie  House, 
and  Durris  House  are  the  oldest.  The  former,  beauti- 
fully situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Dee  about  seven 
miles  from  Aberdeen,  is  surrounded  by  fine  old  timber. 
Durris  House,  an  elegant  and  very  substantially  built 
modern  mansion,  was  erected  close  to  the  site  of  the 
old  castle  of  Dores,  a  residence  of  Alexander  III. 

19.  Communications — Roads  and   Rail- 
ways 

Kincardineshire  being  on  the  direct  route  between 
the  north  and  the  south  of  Scotland,  the  earliest  of  the 


96  KINCARDINESHIRE 

main  roads  in  the  county  were  avenues,  running  gener- 
ally north  and  south,  and  leading  to  the  Highlands  and 
Lowlands.  Where  much  of  the  land  was  ill-drained  and 
boggy,  the  making  of  suitable  roads  was  often  a  difficult 
and  tedious  matter.  The  high  roads,  being  the  dry 
roads,  had  perforce  at  first  to  be  followed,  while  the 
straight  line  as  the  shortest  distance  between  any  two 
given  points  was,  where  practicable,  preferred.  Until 
well  after  the  Union  of  1707,  the  roads  in  Kincardine- 
shire  were,  as  elsewhere  in  the  north  of  Scotland,  in 
a  very  neglected  state.  Where  wheeled  vehicles  were 
non-existent  or  few,  wide,  well-made  roads  were  of  little 
consequence.  Bridle  paths  sufficed  for  the  needs  of 
the  pack-horse  that  plodded  along  by  ways  none  too 
safe  by  day  or  night. 

The  Roman  road  from  Tay  to  Dee  is  undoubtedly  the 
oldest,  and  its  course  can  be  generally  traced  in  the  line 
of  the  Roman  camps,  usually  a  day's  march  apart. 
Starting  probably  at  Ardoch  in  Perthshire,  and  con- 
tinued through  the  northern  district  of  Forfarshire,  it 
entered  the  county  at  Kingsford  (a  modern  name)  in 
a  north-easterly  direction  between  the  parishes  of 
Marykirk  and  Fettercairn  ;  whence  the  route  was  direct 
to  the  camp  at  the  Mains  of  Fordoun.  From  this  it  was 
continued  to  the  camp  at  Raedykes  near  Stonehaven, 
and  thence  to  Normandykes,  Peterculter,  where  it 
crossed  the  Dee.  At  Marykirk  a  short  branch,  probably 
not,  however,  a  Roman  road,  struck  to  the  left,  leading 
to  the  royal  palace  of  Kincardine.  From  that  point  it 
was  continued  to  the  pass  of  Cairn  O'  Mount,  which  in 


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'rt 
O 


98  KINCARDINESHIRE 

later  days  echoed,  not  to  the  tramp  of  the  Roman 
legions,  but  to  the  tread  of  the  red-coated  regiments 
of  the  second  King  George,  under  that  renowned  road- 
maker  General  Wade,  the  last  of  whose  military  roads 
this  was.  From  the  Roman  road,  or  its  successors, 
numerous  cross-roads  struck  off  on  each  side  leading 
to  hill  and  sea.  The  hill  roads  were  utilised  by  the 
Highland  drovers  on  their  way  to  the  great  annual 
trysts  and  fairs  south  of  the  Grampians,  while  the  roads 
that  led  from  the  numerous  small  shipping  ports  were 
convenient  for  transporting  either  coal  or  lime,  jnto  the 
interior. 

For  the  first  three-quarters  of  the  last  century  the 
roads  were  divided  into  two  classes — the  turnpike  or 
toll,  and  the  statute  labour  roads.  The  former  were 
originally  made  by  subscription,  and  partly  upheld  by 
tolls,  while  the  latter  were  made  and  upheld  from 
highway  and  bridge  moneys  paid  by  heritors  and  others. 
When  the  Roads  and  Bridges  Act  of  1879  came  into 
force,  a  road  rate  was  imposed  on  all  householders  ; 
and  since  then  a  gradual  improvement  has  been  effected 
on  the  roads  so  that  they  are  now,  as  a  rule,  very  suitable 
for  the  needs  of  modern  travelling. 

The  main  road  through  the  county  leads  from  Brechin 
by  North  Water  Bridge,  west  of  Marykirk,  to  Laurence- 
kirk,  Fordoun,  Stonehaven,  and  Aberdeen.  This  is 
the  main  route  for  traffic  from  Edinburgh,  through 
Strathmore  and  the  Howe  of  the  Mearns.  A  parallel 
road  to  this,  but  running  along  the  base  of  the  hills, 
passes  through  Fettercairn  and  the  beautiful  Glen  of 


COMMUNICATIONS— ROADS,  ETC.        99 

Urumtochty,  thence  through  Fordoun,  Glenbervie,  and 
Fetteresso  parishes  to  Stonehaven,  where  it  joins  the 
Great  North  Road.  From  Montrose  a  splendid  turnpike 
road  runs  close  to  the  coast  through  St  Cyrus,  Bervie, 
and  Stonehaven,  where  it  also  meets  the  main  road. 
These  three  parallel  roads  are  connected  by  numerous 
cross-roads,  which  give  free  access  to  all  parts  of  the 
county.  One  of  the  best  roads  in  the  county  is  that  along 
the  south  side  of  the  Dee  from  Aberdeen  to  Maryculter, 
Durris,  Banchory,  and  Strachan.  From  the  coast  various 
cross-roads  connect  with  this  road — the  well-known 
"  Slug  "  road  from  Stonehaven  going  through  Rickarton 
and  Durris  to  Banchory  ;  another  through  Cookney, 
Netherley,  and  Maryculter  to  the  Dee  valley  ;  and  a 
third  from  Portlethen  through  Fetteresso,  Maryculter, 
Durris,  and  Strachan. 

The  county  has  no  canals,  though  towards  the  end  of 
the  eighteenth  century  there  was  much  talk  of  construct- 
ing one  through  the  Howe  of  the  Mearns  and  Strath- 
more  to  the  Tay.  The  general  opinion  on  this  is  pithily 
summed  up  by  Robertson  (Agricultural  Survey)  :  "  There 
seems,  in  fact,  to  be  very  little  to  urge  against  the 
practicability  of  the  thing,  and  nothing  perhaps  against 
its  expediency,  but  that  it  would  be  of  no  use.  Nobody 
would  think  of  conveying  goods  40  or  50  miles  by  water 
who  had  it  in  his  power  to  bring  them  directly  to  market 
by  an  easy  land  carriage,  of  less  than  the  fourth  part  of 
the  distance  and  time." 

The  railways  in  the  county  run  practically  parallel 
and  contiguous  to  the  main  roads.  They  belong  to 


100  KINCARDINESHIRE 

three   railway   companies — the   Caledonian,    the   North 
British,    and    the    Great    North    of    Scotland.        The 
northern   section    of   the    Caledonian,    first    called    the 
Aberdeen,  and  afterwards  the  Scottish  North-Eastern, 
was  opened  throughout  in  1850.     It  enters  the  county 
by  a  viaduct  of  thirteen  spans  over  the  North  Esk  near 
Marykirk  Station,  and  running  northward  past  Laurence- 
kirk,  Fordoun,  and  Drumlithie,  where  the  highest  point 
on  the  section  is,  reaches  through  heavy  cuttings  the 
sea   at   Stonehaven,  after   which   it    follows   the  coast 
to  Aberdeen.     A  section  of  the  North  British  Railway, 
about  14  miles  long,  runs  from  Montrose  along  the  sea 
to  Bervie,  at  present  the  terminus,  although  proposals 
have  been  made  to  connect  it  with  Stonehaven  by  a 
light  railway.     From  Kinnaber  Junction,  two  miles  north 
of  Montrose,  where  the  North  British  and  Caledonian 
main    lines    connect,    the    former    company    possesses 
certain  running  powers  over  the  Caledonian  system  to 
Aberdeen.     The  Deeside  railway,  owned  by  the  Great 
North  of  Scotland  Company,  runs  from  Aberdeen  along 
the  north  side  of  the  Dee.     It  enters  the  county  near 
Crathes  Station,   14  miles  from  Aberdeen,   and  leaves 
it  close  to  Glassel  Station. 

20.  Administration  and  Divisions 

Sheriffs  were  appointed  in  the  twelfth  century,  but 
it  was  not  till  the  fourteenth  that  the  office  became 
hereditary  in  Scotland.  In  Kincardineshire  the  Keiths 
were  the  hereditary  sheriffs  for  some  two  hundred  years 


ADMINISTRATION  AND  DIVISIONS    101 

from  about  1350.  Their  jurisdiction  probably  did  not 
coincide  with  the  present  boundaries,  but  their  power 
and  influence  in  the  county  was  undoubted.  It  would 
appear  also  that  in  the  Mearns  the  offices  of  sheriff  and 
forester  were  often  united.  The  royal  forester  had 
jurisdiction  in  offences  against  the  forest  laws,  and 
received  certain  payments  or  privileges  for  superin- 
tending the  hunting  domains,  such  as  Cowie  and  Durris. 
In  addition  to  the  sheriff,  we  hear  also  of  thanes,  of 
whom  there  were  at  least  seven  in  the  Mearns.  Origin- 
ally stewards  over  the  royal  lands,  they  ultimately 
became  hereditary  tenants  of  the  King.  Those  heredi- 
tary powers  were  abolished  after  the  "  Forty-five,"  the 
sheriff,  an  advocate  by  profession,  henceforth  holding 
his  office  direct  from  the  Crown. 

Besides  the  Lord-Lieutenant,  who  may  be  regarded 
as  the  head  of  the  county,  but  whose  duties  are  now 
largely  ceremonial,  there  are  in  Kincardineshire  Deputy- 
Lieutenants  ;  but  the  real  executive  power  is  vested  in 
the  salaried  Sheriff,  assisted  in  his  judicial  and  adminis- 
trative capacity  by  a  Sheriff-Substitute.  The  Sheriff- 
Principal  of  Aberdeenshire  is  Sheriff  of  Kincardine  and 
also  of  Banff. 

The  chief  administrative  body  in  the  county  is  the 
County  Council,  which  came  into  existence  in  1889. 
It  is  presided  over  by  a  chairman  chosen  from  amongst 
the  elected  members,  who  is  also  designated  convener 
of  the  county.  Representatives  come  from  each  of 
the  nineteen  parishes  or  electoral  divisions  in  the 
county,  these  again  being  grouped  into  five  districts : 


102  KINCARDINESHIRE 

(1)  Laurencekirk  district,  with  four  electoral  divisions ; 

(2)  St  Cyrus  district,  with  three ;    (3)  Stonehaven  dis- 
trict, with  five ;    (4)  Lower  Deeside,  with  four ;    and 
(5)  Upper  Deeside,  with  three.     Each  of  the  five  districts 
has  a  committee  consisting  of  the  County  Councillors  for 
the  electoral  divisions  of  the  district  and  of  representa- 
tives selected  from  the  various  parish  councils.     Roads 
and  bridges,   public  health,   diseases  of  animals,   pro- 
tection of  wild  birds,  valuation,  finance,  and  the  general 
administrative  oversight  of  the  county  are  under  the 
control  of  the  County  Council. 

By  the  Education  Act  of  1872,  School  Boards  in  every 
parish  had  the  charge  of  education  ;  but  the  Education 
Act  of  1918  has  now  established  an  Education  Authority 
for  the  whole  county  to  control  both  primary  and 
secondary  schools. 

The  civil  parishes,  each  with  its  council  to  carry  out 
the  provisions  of  the  Poor  Law  and  other  duties,  number 
nineteen  :  Arbuthnott,  Banchory-Devenick,  Banchory- 
Ternan,  Benholm,  Bervie,  Dunnottar,  Durris,  Fetter- 
cairn,  Fetteresso,  Fordoun,  Garvock,  Glenbervie,  Kinneff, 
Laurencekirk,  Maryculter,  Marykirk,  Nigg,  St  Cyrus, 
Strachan.  The  ecclesiastical  parishes  are  twenty-two  : 
all  the  civil  parishes  and  the  quoad  sacra  parishes  of 
Cookney,  Portlethen,  and  Rickarton.  Fifteen  of  these 
form  the  Presbytery  of  Fordoun,  while  five  are  in  the 
Presbytery  of  Aberdeen  and  two  in  the  Presbytery  of 
Kincardine  O'  Neil. 

The  county  now  unites  with  the  Western  Division  of 
Aberdeenshire  in  returning  one  member  to  Parliament. 


ROLL  OF  HONOUR  103 

Bervie,  a  very  ancient  burgh,  sent  representatives  to 
the  Scottish  Parliament  from  1612,  at  least,  down  to 
1707.  Under  the  Act  of  Union  it  was  classed  with 
Aberdeen,  Arbroath,  Brechin,  and  Montrose — a  group 
returning  one  member  to  the  British  Parliament.  Bervie 
is  still  one  of  the  Montrose  Burghs,  Aberde  n  has  two 
members  of  its  own. 

21.  Roll  of  Honour 

Though  small  in  size,  Kincardineshire  has  a  remark- 
able muster-roll  of  notables  whose  reputation  is  by  no 
means  local. 

To  begin,  it  claims  to  be  the  cradle  of  the  family 
to  which  Robert  Burns  belonged.  For  many  genera- 
tions Glenbervie  had  been  the  home  of  the  family  of 
Burness,  as  the  name  was  invariably  spelled  ;  and  it 
was  from  Clochnahill,  near  Stonehaven,  that  the  poet's 
father  set  out  to  better  his  fortunes  in  the  south.  It 
was  from  his  father  that  Robert  Burns  inherited  his 
brain-power,  his  hypochondria,  and  his  general  superi- 
ority. Robert's  cousin,  John  Burness  (1771-1826),  was 
author  of  Thrummy  Cap,  which  Burns  thought  "  the 
best  ghost  story  in  the  language." 

Sir  Walter  Scott's  connection  with  the  county,  though 
not  so  close  or  direct,  is  nevertheless  interesting. 
Readers  of  the  Waverley  Novels  will  remember  that  it 
was  in  the  churchyard  of  Dunnottar  that  Scott  in  1796 
first  saw  Robert  Paterson,  the  original  of  Old  Mortality, 
"  engaged  in  his  daily  task  of  cleaning  and  repairing 


104 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


the  ornaments  and  epitaphs  upon  the  tomb  "  of  the 
Covenanters.  Scott,  however,  became  the  begetter  of  one 
of  the  best-known  men  of  the  Mearns,  the  renowned 
mercenary  soldier  Captain  Dugald  Dalgetty,  whose 
"  natural  hereditament  of  Drumthwacket  "  was  "  the 
long  waste  moor  so  called,  that  lies  five  miles  south  of 


Burying-place  of  Burns 's  Ancestors 

Aberdeen,"    and    who    was   naturally   an    alumnus   of 
Marischal  College. 

Whether  as  soldiers,  administrators,  courtiers,  or 
patriots,  various  members  of  the  Keith  family  wielded 
great  influence,  not  only  in  the  county  but  also  through- 
out the  country,  from  the  eleventh  century  to  1718, 
when  the  last  Earl  Marischal's  estates  were  forfeited  to 
the  Crown.  This  Earl's  younger  brother,  James  Keith, 
after  military  service  with  the  Spaniards  and  the 


ROLL  OF  HONOUR  105 

Russians,  went  to  Prussia,  where  Frederick  the  Great 
at  once  made  him  field-marshal,  and  relied  greatly  on 


George  Keith,  Fifth  Earl  Marischal 
(Founder,  1593,  of  Marischal  College,  Aberdeen) 

his  military  genius.     In  1758  Keith  was  killed  at  Hoch- 
kirch  while  for  the  third  time  charging  the  Austrians. 

The  Falconers,  whose  name  came  from  the  Crown 
office  they  held,  were  connected  with  the  county  in  the 
twelfth  century.  Three  of  them  became  senators  of 
the  College  of  Justice,  or  Lords  of  Session.  One  of  these 


106 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


was  deprived  of  his  seat,  1649-1660,  for  "malignancy," 
which  drew  from  Drummond  of  Hawthornden  a  sonnet 


Field-Marshal  James  Keith 

(From  a  painting  in  the  Burgh  Council  Chamber,  Stonehaven) 

in  praise  of  his  character  and  a  lament  for  his  misfortunes. 

One  would  like  to  head  the  list  of  historians  with  the 

name   of   John   of   Fordun,    author  of  the  important 

Scotichronicon ;    but  that  he  was  born  in  the  parish  of 


ROLL  OF  HONOUR  107 

Fordoun  is  merely  an  inference  from  his  name.  He 
flourished  in  the  fourteenth  century.  Cosmo  Innes 
(1798-1874),  a  native  of  Durris,  was  trained  as  a  lawyer. 
In  1846  he  was  appointed  Professor  of  Constitutional 
Law  and  History  in  Edinburgh  University.  He  is 
best  known  for  his  two  historical  works — Scotland  in 
the  Middle  Ages,  and  Sketches  of  Early  Scotch  History. 
Dr  Cramond,  a  voluminous  writer  of  histories  dealing 
chiefly  with  the  north-east  of  Scotland,  belonged  to 
Fettercairn. 

James  Burnett  (1714-1799),  Lord  Monboddo,  was 
famous  not  merely  as  a  lawyer  but  also  as  a  litterateur. 
He  first  came  into  prominence  as  counsel  for  the 
Douglases  in  the  Douglas  case,  and  in  1767  he  was 
made  a  Lord  of  Session,  a  position  he  held  for  thirty 
years.  His  Origin  and  Progress  of  Language,  in  which 
he  anticipated  the  Darwinian  theory,  is  very  learned 
and  acute,  but  very  eccentric.  Lord  Neaves,  a  versatile 
successor  in  the  Court  of  Session,  sings  of  him : 

"  His  views,  when  forth  at  first  they  came, 

Appeared  a  little  odd  O  ! 
But  now  we've  notions  much  the  same, 
We're  back  to  old  Monboddo. 

"  Though  Darwin  now  proclaims  the  law, 

And  spreads  it  far  abroad  O ! 

The  man  that  first  the  secret  saw, 

Was  honest  old  Monboddo." 

Lord  Gardenstone,  another  Lord  of  Session,  was  like 
Monboddo,  somewhat  eccentric,  but  did  much  for  the 
village  of  Laurencekirk,  which  he  got  erected  into  a 


108 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


Burgh  of  Barony.     Still  another  judge  was  Sir  John 
Wishart,  who  died  in  1576,  a  native  of  Fordoun.     He 


James  Burnett,  Lord  Monboddo 

was  a  comrade  of  Erskine  of  Dun  in  the  days  of  the 
Reformation,  and  fought  at  Corrichie. 

Of  ecclesiastical  dignitaries  the  county  can  show  a 


ROLL  OF  HONOUR  109 

generous  muster-roll,  an  outstanding  feature  being  the 
relatively  large  number  of  bishops.  One  was  Bishop 
Wishart  of  St  Andrews.  Bishop  Mitchell,  a  native  of 


Dr  Thomas  Reid 

Garvock,  was  deprived  of  his  office  in  1638,  and  during 
his  exile  in  Holland  worked  as  a  clockmaker.  Bishop 
Keith  (1681-1757)  was  born  at  Uras,  and  held  the  See 
of  Fife.  He  compiled  a  valuable  history  of  Scottish 
affairs  from  the  beginnings  of  the  Reformation  to  Mary's 
departure  for  England  in  1568.  Gilbert  Burnett,  Bishop 


110  KINCARDINESHIRE 

of  Salisbury  and  friend  of  William  III.,  was  a  descendant 
of  the  Burnetts  of  Crathes.  Alexander  Arbuthnott 
(1538-1583),  son  of  Andrew  Arbuthnott  of  Pitcarles, 
became  Principal  of  King's  College,  Aberdeen,  in  1569, 
and  soon  after  received  the  living  of  Arbuthnott.  Dr 
James  Sibbald,  who  died  about  1650,  was  a  Mearns  man. 
He  was  minister  of  St  Nicholas,  Aberdeen,  and  a  stout 
opponent  of  the  Covenant.  Equally  stout  on  the  other 
side  was  Rev.  Andrew  Cant  (1590-1663),  a  native  of 
Strachan.  Another  native  of  Strachan  was  Dr  Thomas 
Reid  (1710-1796),  parish  minister  of  New  Machar  in 
Aberdeenshire  and  Professor  of  Philosophy  at  King's 
College,  Aberdeen.  He  wrote  a  renowned  book — 
Inquiry  into  the  Human  Mind  on  the  Principles  of 
Common  Sense — and  created  the  Scottish  school  of 
philosophy  opposed  to  David  Hume.  He  succeeded 
Adam  Smith  in  Glasgow. 

In  literature  the  greatest  name  is  Dr  John  Arbuthnot 
(1667-1735),  son  of  an  Episcopalian  clergyman  at 
Arbuthnott.  One  of  the  Queen  Anne  wits  and  the 
friend  of  Swift  and  Pope,  he  wrote  the  History  of  John 
Bull  and  was  the  chief  author  of  the  Memoirs  of  Martinus 
Scriblerus.  "  The  Doctor,"  said  Swift,  "  has  more  wit 
than  we  all  have,  and  his  humanity  is  equal  to  his  wit." 
Dr  James  Beattie  (1735-1803),  a  native  of  Laurencekirk, 
and  schoolmaster  of  Fordoun,  was  appointed  to  the 
Chair  of  Moral  Philosophy  in  Marischal  College,  Aber- 
deen. His  Essay  on  Truth  had  a  great  reputation,  while 
his  Spenserian  poem  The  Minstrel  still  finds  readers. 
George  Beattie  (1786-1823),  author  of  John  of  Arnha, 


ROLL  OF  HONOUR  111 

was  a  native  of  St  Cyrus.  Thomas  Ruddiman  (1674- 
1757),  for  five  years  schoolmaster  of  Laurencekirk,  was 
a  famed  Latinist,  whose  Rudiments  had  great  vogue 


Dr  John  Arbuthnot 

for  many  years.  David  Herd  (1732-1810),  who  belonged 
to  Marykirk  and  edited  the  first  classical  collection  of 
Scottish  Songs  ;  Dean  Ramsay  (1793-1872),  author  of 
Reminiscences  of  Scottish  Life  and  Character ;  Dr  John 
Longmuir  (1803-1883),  historian  of  Dunnottar  Castle  ; 
and  Dr  John  Brebner  (1833-1902),  a  native  of  Fordoun, 


112 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


organiser,  and  for  twenty-five  years  head,  of  the 
educational  system  in  the  Orange  Free  State,  cannot  be 
left  unnamed. 


Captain  Robert  Barclay 

(On  his  walk  of  a  thousand  miles) 

Various  members  of  that  family  of  strong  men,  the 
Barclays  of  Urie,  achieved  fame  in  different  ways. 
The  first  was  Colonel  David  Barclay,  an  old  soldier  of 


CHIEF  TOWNS  AND  VILLAGES       113 

Gustavus  Adolphus,  who  purchased  Urie.  He  turned 
Quaker,  and  was  accordingly  persecuted.  Readers  of 
Whittier  will  remember  the  poem  beginning  : 

"  Up  the  streets  of  Aberdeen, 
By  the  kirk  and  college-green, 
Rode  the  Laird  of  Urie." 

Dying  in  1686,  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Robert 
(1648-1690),  who  in  1672  had  walked  in  sackcloth  through 
Aberdeen  as  a  protest  against  the  wickedness  of  the 
times.  Robert  was  an  eminent  man,  and  his  Apology 
is  the  standard  exposition  of  the  principles  of  the  Friends. 
A  descendant  of  his,  who  died  in  1790,  was  the  famous 
agriculturist ;  while  another,  Captain  Robert  Barclay 
(1779-1854),  was  a  noted  pedestrian,  whose  feat  of 
walking  1000  miles  in  1000  consecutive  hours  took  place 
at  Newmarket  in  1809. 


22.  The  Chief  Towns  and  Villages  of 
Kincardineshire 

(The  figures  in  brackets  after  each  name  give  the  population 
in  1911,  and  those  at  the  end  of  each  section  are 
references  to  pages  in  the  text.) 

Auchinblae,  a  picturesquely  situated  village  2  miles  north 
of  Fordoun  Station,  is  a  famous  summer  resort.  Here  is 
the  entrance  to  the  beautiful  Glen  of  Drumtochty.  (p.  56.) 

Banchory  (1633),  in  the  parish  of  Banchory-Ternan,  was 
founded  in  1805  and  is  now  a  Police  Burgh.  The  most 
popular  of  resorts  on  Lower  Deeside,  it  is  pleasantly  situated 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  Dee,  18  miles  west  of  Aberdeen. 


114 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


The  picturesque  Falls  of  Feugh  are  less  than  a  mile  from 
the  town.  The  Nordrach-on-Dee  Sanatorium  stands  in 
pine  woods  a  little  to  the  west.  The  Hill  of  Fare,  to  the 
north,  was  the  scene  of  the  battle  of  Corrichie.  (pp.  5,  7, 
10,  14,  22,  47,  55,  72,  74,  99.) 

Bervie  (1173),  formerly  and  still  officially  Inverbervie,^  a 
royal  burgh  since  1362,  has  prosperous  flax-spinning  mills. 


Nordrach-on-Dee  Sanatorium,  Banchory 

Salmon  -  fishing  is  successfully  carried  on.  David  II. 
landed  here  in  1341,  after  his  exile  in  France,  (pp.  5,  7, 
12,  18,  55,  57,  74,  99,  100,  103.) 

Catterline  is  a  fishing  hamlet  in  Kinneff  parish,  midway 
between  Stonehaven  and  Bervie.  Todhead  lighthouse  is 
near.  (pp.  40,  58.) 

Cove,  a  fishing  village  about  4  miles  south  of  Aberdeen, 
has  also  fish-manure  works,  (pp.  36,  56,  58,  101.) 

Cowie,  a  fishing  hamlet  i  mile  north  of  Stonehaven. 
(pp.  20,  23,  37,  58,  65,  76,  101.) 


CHIEF  TOWNS  AND  VILLAGES       115 

Drumlithie  (207),  an  irregularly  built  village  in  Glenbervie 
parish.  The  steeple,  erected  in  1777,  is  a  circular  tower 
surmounted  by  a  belfry.  Drumlithie  became  a  Burgh  of 
Barony  in  1329.  (pp.  69,  100.) 

Fettercairn,  in  the  centre  of  a  good  agricultural  district, 
is  a  Burgh  of  Barony,  5  miles  north  of  Laurencekirk.  It 
has  a  Gothic  arch  erected  to  commemorate  the  visit  of 


Mending  Nets,  Gourdon 

Queen  Victoria  and  Prince  Albert  in  1861  ;  and  also  a 
turreted  fountain  tower,  a  memorial  to  Sir  John  Hepburn 
Stewart  Forbes,  Bart.  (1804-1866).  The  old  market  cross 
of  Kincardine  stands  in  the  village,  (pp.  13,  47,  48,  55,  56, 
61,  72,  74,  83,  98.) 

Findon,  a  village  between  Cove  and  Portlethen,  the  original 
home  of  the  well-known  "Finnan  haddock."     (p.  36.) 

Fordoun,  a  village  with  station  on  the  Caledonian  Railway 
line.     The  parish  has  historical  associations  with  St  Palla- 


116  KINCARDINESHIRE 

dius,  Lord  Monboddo,  and  James  Seattle  the  poet ;  and 
contains  the  site  of  the  old  county  town,  Kincardine.  The 
chief  village  is  Auchinblae.  (pp.  I,  13,  57,  61,  63,  70,  80, 
98,  100,  108,  no,  in.) 

Gourdon,  a  fishing  village  i  mile  south  of  Bervie,  has  a 
flax  mill.  (pp.  5,  40,  55,  58,  59.) 

Johnshaven,  a  fishing  village  and  coastguard  station  in 
the  parish  of  Benholm,  has  also  a  spinning  mill.  (pp.  5,  40, 
55,  58,  59,  94-) 

Laurencekirk  (1438),  a  Burgh  of  Barony,  has  a  large 
local  country  trade,  a  flourishing  weekly  mart,  a  brewery, 
coach  works,  and  some  handloom  weaving.  The  renowned 
Latinist,  Thomas  Ruddiman,  was  for  a  few  years  school- 
master here.  (pp.  n,  13,  52,  55,  56,  65,  98,  100,  107,  no, 
in.) 

Luthermuir,  a  small  village  in  Marykirk,  dating  from 
1771,  had  formerly  handloom  weaving. 

Marykirk,  a  village  beautifully  situated  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  North  Esk,  a  short  mile  from  Craigo  railway  station, 
(pp.  13,  17,  72,  95,  96,  ioo,  in.) 

Muchalls,  a  neat  little  village  and  coastguard  station 
4  miles  north  of  Stonehaven,  is  famed  for  its  rock  scenery 
and  is  much  frequented  by  summer  visitors,  (pp.  13,  29, 
30,  36,  69,  88.) 

Portlethen,  a  small  fishing  village,  6  miles  south  of 
Aberdeen,  (pp.  30,  36,  53,  58,  99.) 

St  Cyrus,  a  village  with  a  salmon-fishing  station  in  the 
S.E.  corner  of  the  county,  was  formerly  called  Ecclesgreig. 
Both  St  Cyrus  and  Ecclesgreig  contain  the  name  of  a  king 
of  the  Scots  towards  the  close  of  the  ninth  century,  Grig 
or  Girig,  who  won  the  title  of  "  Liberator  of  the  Scottish 
Church."  (pp.  12,  21,  24,  28,  40,  52,  57,  63,  83,  94,  99,  in.) 


118  KINCARDINESHIRE 

Skateraw,  a  small  fishing  village,  close  to  Newtonhill 
railway  station,  (pp.  36,  58.) 

Stonehaven  (4266),  stands  on  the  bay  some  14  miles  S.S.W. 
of  Aberdeen,  at  the  mouths  of  the  Carron  and  the  Cowie. 
In  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  it  superseded 
Kincardine  as  the  county  town,  and  in  1889  was  made  a 
Police  Burgh.  It  consists  of  an  old  and  a  new  town.  The 
old  town,  south  of  the  Carron,  in  Dunnottar  parish,  is 
irregularly  built,  and  inhabited  mostly  by  fishermen.  The 
new  town,  in  Fetteresso  parish,  lies  between  the  two  streams. 
It  is  regularly  laid  out  and  well  built.  Prominent  in  the 
central  square  is  the  market  house  with  its  lofty  steeple, 
and  in  Allardyce  Street  the  Italianate  town  hall.  Other 
notable  buildings  are  the  two  parish  churches  and  the 
other  churches — United  Free,  Episcopalian,  and  Roman 
Catholic.  The  Mackie  Academy  was  opened  as  a  Secondary 
School  in  1893.  The  fishing  industry  is  important ;  but 
for  general  trade  the  harbour  admits  only  small  vessels. 
Of  recent  years  Stonehaven  has  been  much  resorted  to  by 
summer  visitors,  attracted,  for  health  and  pleasure,  by  its 
bracing  climate,  fine  cliffs  and  woods,  sea-bathing  and 
boating,  golf  course  and  recreation  ground,  (pp.  5,  7,  19, 
21,  22,  37,  44,  45,  47,  49,  55,  56,  58,  60,  61,  64,  65,  69,  73, 
74.  93,  96,  98,  99,  ioo,  102,  103.) 

Strachan,  or  Kirkton  of  Strachan,  a  village  4  miles  from 
Banchory-Ternan,  is  in  the  largest  and  hilliest  parish.  At 
the  western  boundary  of  the  parish  is  Mount  Battock, 
the  converging  point  of  three  shires — Kincardine,  Forfar, 
Aberdeen.  Famous  natives  were  Rev.  Andrew  Cant  and 
Dr  Thomas  Reid.  (pp.  4,  72,  99,  no.) 

Torry  (11,428),  which  less  than  fifty  years  ago  was  a  small 
fishing  village,  is  now  an  important  ward  of  Aberdeen. 
It  unites  with  the  city  for  parliamentary,  municipal,  and 
educational  purposes.  The  construction  of  the  Victoria 
Bridge,  to  take  the  place  of  the  ferry,  and  the  introduction 
of  trawl-fishing  led  to  the  rapid  growth  of  Torry.  (p.  50.) 


DIAGRAMS 


119 


Scotland 

(excluding  Water) 
29,708  sq.  miles 


Kincardine 


Fig.  I.  Area  of  Kincardineshire  (382  square  miles) 
compared  with  that  of  Scotland 


Scotland 
4,759,445 


Kincardine  |~ 


Fig.  2.  Population  of  Kincardineshire  (41,007)  compared 
with  that  of  Scotland  at  the  last  Census 


120 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


Kincardineshire  108 


Scotland  157 


Lanarkshire  1633 


Sutherland  10 

Fig.  3.    Comparative  density  of  Population  to  the  square 

mile  at  the  last  Census 
(Each  dot  represents  ten  persons) 


1801 
1831 

1861 
1891 
IQOI 


26,349 


31,431 


34,466 


35,647 


40,923 


1911 


41,007 


Fig.  4.  Growth  of  Population  in  Kincardineshire 


DIAGRAMS 


121 


Other  Crops,  &  Bate  Fallow  (53  acres) 
65,553  acres 


Fig.  5.  Proportionate  area  under  Corn  Crops  com- 
pared with  that  of  other  cultivated  land  in 
Kincardineshire 


Barley 
(including  Bere) 

10,581  acres 


Fig.  6.     Proportionate  areas  of  Chief  Cereals  in 
Kincardineshire 


122 


KINCARDINESHIRE 


Fig.  7.     Proportionate  areas  of.  Land  in 
Kincardineshire 


Fig.  8.     Proportionate  numbers  of  Live  Stock 
in  Kincardineshire 


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